Northern Serbs: Those who want to live here must have Kosovo's driver's license

Serbian northern citizens of the country have welcomed the Kosovo Government's decision to convert the driver's license issued by Serbian illegal structures, to the driving license of the Republic of Kosovo.

They, during a conversation for Kosova Prees, have indicated that all citizens who are thinking of living in Kosovo should be equipped with an official Kosovo driver's license.

Miroslav Lacketik, citizen of northern Mitrovica, says the Kosovo government's decision to convert drivers' license is fair.

He has suggested that institutions work harder on informing citizens through the media.

I think that at this time on the part of the Government of Kosovo is a normal decision, only that they have to work harder to convince citizens... So whoever's thinking about living here must have that driver's license. You don't have to charge citizens with certain obligations, to pay for any additional permits, such as training, or to pay taxes and like, while these other normal procedures, I have nothing against this...

Every decision at first is like fear, distrust of citizens, or it's not humiliating to them, etc., but in time, the person who thinks to live in Kosovo will accept this”, Lockett said.

Nemanja Nestorovic, another citizen from the north of the divided city, tells Kosovo that citizens' interest in converting the driver's license is great.

According to him, what frightens citizens and what they seek for answers is what will happen to their patents, whether they will be confiscated by Kosovo institutions, cancelled, or returned to citizens, respectively.

“Politically, such a decision (of the Kosovo government) comes at a moment when the Quint states insist that Prime Minister Kurti and the Government of Kosovo establish the Association of Serb majority municipalities, and that can be interpreted as a small step when Prime Minister Kurti wants to buy time and thus want to show how he is flexible, allows certain favors for the Serb community in Kosovo...

Still, there is concern (from the citizens' side), but what continues to remain unclear and what they require is that their patents, which were issued by the institutions of the Republic of Serbia in Kosovo, will be taken, canceled, or returned to citizens. This is what remains unclear and creates additional fears and hesitation of them to begin with the process of changing permits immediately, Nestorovic stressed.

On the other hand, Serbian analyst Branislav Krstic said the majority of northern Serb citizens have gladly accepted the government's decision to patent drivers.

He added that there is no longer a chance for two police officers to operate in one state.

Krstiq argued that the integration of Kosovo state citizens is finally happening, while he said the three-month deadline for converting drivers is sufficient.

The majority of northern residents have gladly accepted our government's decision. In one state two police officers do not function, which means IDs, patents and drivers, which have been issued by city police centres in Serbia, but with the names of Kosovo Mitrovica, Pristina, Peja, no longer function... It seems to me that a very open handpower from the state of Kosovo... which means we are making a kind of integration of the citizens of the state of Kosovo with precise documentation and this is something welcome and welcome on the part of the country's northern residents...

Three months is a sufficient timeline for patent reregistering. I'm sure that in the summer months, the offices in the north, but even in the south, we're going to be packed with residents interested in reregistering the license-viser”, explained to Kosovas analyst Krstik. /kp/