Office for Kosovo and Metohija
Government of the Republic of Serbia

Đurić: Anyone opposing good relations between Serbs and Albanians is enemy

Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Marko Đurić said today that more rights for Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija does not mean less rights for the Kosovo Albanians, specifying that the opponents of good relations between Serbs and Albanians are in fact the enemy of both nations.

More rights for the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, through the Community of Serbian municipalities, will mean not an inch less rights for the Kosovo Albanians. Rather, it means a safer, more peaceful and stable future for them, Đurić said.

Đurić attended the ground breaking ceremony for the parish house in the village of Prilužje near Vučitrn, marked today by a liturgy and cultural and music program, also in celebration of the Orthodox feast "Transfiguration of Our Lord".

"The only progressive policy in Kosovo and Metohija is the policy of peace, and therefore anyone who is against the good relations between Serbs and Albanians is the enemy of both nations," Đurić cautioned, recalling that the highest political representatives of Kosovo Albanians had made a promise that Prilužje and some of the surrounding villages would be granted the status of municipality.

"It is my opinion these people need to demonstrate that they are able to honor the promises they made, and that they care about the relations with the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija as well as about their relations with Belgrade.

The latter is of importance to them, regardless of their willingness or reluctance to admit it. In order to substantiate that they are worthy of a quality relationship, they need to keep the promises they made, and they can do this by providing firm support to reinforcing a higher level of rights for the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija – which is also beneficial for everyone, "said Đurić.

According to Đurić, "The Government of Serbia will, in cooperation with our representatives in the provincial institutions, continue to assist not only the Diocese of Raška and Prizren, in constructing the parish house in Prilužje, but will also continue to be present here through various other activities."

"I wish to recall that promises have been made to the people that they would have their own municipality and will be able to manage their own affairs. The same promise was made to the Serbian representatives in provincial institutions. And with honest people, their word is their bond. We expect that they honor their word for the sake of normalizing relations and for stability," Đurić said.

"I am convinced that the transformation of the entire Serbian nation begins here in Kosovo and Metohija, where we fight for the present and the future of our entire nation, continuing the struggle waged by the generations before us, and thus honoring their ordeal, making it meaningful and alive in the times which are ahead of us," said Đurić.

The "Days of Transfiguration of Our Lord" festivity in Prilužje was attended by Deputy Directors of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Dušan Kozarev and Damjan Jović, the Serb representatives in the provincial government, Dalibor Jevtić, Ljubomir Marić, Branimir Stojanović and Ivan Tomić, the President of the Serbian List Slavko Simić, and others.