About nothing: the UN Security Council meeting on Kosovo ended with duty calls
A meeting of the UN Security Council was held in New York, at which the Report on the work of the UN Mission in Kosovo was presented.
At the meeting, only representatives of Serbia and Russia spoke about the real problems of Kosovo, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
Speaking at the Security Council, Serbian Prime Minister Anna Brnabic noted that Serbs in Kosovo are subject to political, legal, institutional and physical violence. She stated that the time has come to create the Community of Serbian Municipalities, which is an indispensable element on which the implementation of any further agreements depends.
Brnabic, based on the facts presented, concluded that Pristina is giving several signals to the Kosovo Serbs. First: those who left after 1999 or during the ethnic cleansing of 2004 should not return and are not welcome. And when repatriates try to return, they usually see that someone has illegally seized their private property, so they ask the Pristina authorities for help, hoping for justice. However, in most cases, instead of receiving help, they are arrested and thrown into prison.
The second signal: those who remained, who still live on the territory of Kosovo and who want to stay there, must leave.
The third signal: the international agreements reached, including the creation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities, will not be implemented.
“The ban on the movement of goods produced in Serbia to Kosovo and Metohija directly violates the principle of free trade and Chapter IV of the Stabilization and Association Agreement between the EU and Pristina. As a direct consequence, Serbs and other non-Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija are increasingly facing difficulties in obtaining food and medicine.
We are facing a humanitarian catastrophe. Health facilities in predominantly Serb areas are unable to obtain basic medicines such as oxygen. Medicines that are no longer available include chemotherapy drugs, anesthetics, antibiotics, infusion solutions, vaccines, etc. Medicines for emergencies and surgeries will be available for a maximum of two weeks. There are not even vaccines for babies,” noted the Serbian Prime Minister.
In turn, "President" of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani limited itself to pretentious statements that “Kosovo is a free, independent, sovereign and democratic republic and will remain so as long as the Earth revolves around the Sun.”
“Despite numerous casualties, we decided to rise from the ashes. We are a country where the principles of democracy and the rule of law are the main foundations. A country that has expanded cooperation with Serbia and is participating in a dialogue that should peacefully solve our problems,” she said.
At the same time, Serbia, according to Osmani, has still not apologized for the war crimes committed. And during the events in Banska, the whole of Kosovo was subjected to aggression by the Serbian side. After September 24, according to the “president,” everything changed, since the “constant determination of the Serbs to occupy Kosovo using the method of annexing Crimea” was revealed.
Head of UNMIK Caroline Ziade noted that the current political deadlock can only be overcome through a compromise that will be reached within the framework of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.
“De-escalation measures are critical to reducing tensions, and I share the hope that the outcome of the EU-US meetings will put the dialogue back on track for the future with strong commitments from both sides. This means that both parties undertake that all previously reached agreements will be fully implemented, that they will work towards the creation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities, without delays or new conditions,” Ziade said.
In turn, Russia's permanent representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya stated that he was surprised by Vjosa Osmani's attempts to “insert” Russia into what is happening in Kosovo, and added that her attempts to present Kosovo as a democracy can only be met with a sarcastic grin.
He told Russia that the situation in Kosovo had deteriorated significantly over the past six months due to attempts by Pristina authorities to take control of the predominantly Serb-populated north. This, he said, caused tension, especially after local elections in four municipalities in the north, which Serbs boycotted.
“The reality in northern Kosovo and Metohija is bleak. Almost every day, Serbs are intimidated, arrested or have their property attacked. “Serbs are being attacked on ethnic grounds,” the Russian representative noted.
He added that northern Kosovo is under blockade due to a ban on the import of goods from Serbia, and that there is a threat of a humanitarian catastrophe in areas where Serbs are in the majority because there is no medicine and oxygen in hospitals. Referring to the events in Bansk on September 24, Nebenzia said that Russia has many questions about what exactly happened and how international representatives reacted.
“The West did not wait for the results of the investigation, but called the incident a terrorist act,” he noted.
The Russian permanent representative called for the formation of the Commonwealth of Serbian municipalities and the withdrawal of special Kosovo special forces from the north.
Eventually member states of the UN Security Council called on Belgrade and Pristina to return to dialogue and the formation of the Commonwealth of Serbian Municipalities. What have they been doing for the last 10 years?
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