Office for Kosovo and Metohija
Government of the Republic of Serbia

Đurić: Support for Serbs for every decision, the same attitude towards Haradinaj

Today, after a meeting with Serbian List representatives, the Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Marko Đurić, said that Serbian representatives will have the support of the Government of Serbia for every decision they make about the form of participation in provincial institutions.

“We will support Serbian representatives in each decision they make, because they are the ones that will have to live in such circumstances, we all know what they are, whose children, mothers, sisters and brothers live together with them in Serbian towns in Kosovo and Metohija and whose faith and future depend on the institutions which they were part of, as during previous years”, Đurić said in the Government of Serbia.

He added that he conveyed the support of the President, the Government and Serbian people to the Serbian List representatives, led by Serbian List President, Goran Rakić, that they will not remain alone, not today, in difficult times, as they were not left alone yesterday, nor will they be left alone tomorrow.

Đurić said that, after the political decision that Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija will make, Serbia’s attitude towards criminals of the so-called KLA will not change; Ramush Haradinaj remains an accused war criminal, who should face the crimes he has committed.

He added that Haradinaj will remain the subject of processing by the Serbian police, prosecution and other bodies.

“That’s Serbia’s attitude towards those who committed crimes. The Albanian people in Kosovo and Metohija chose to be led by those involved in warfare for the last 17 years, which does not make life easier for Serbs”, Đurić said.

He pointed out that this is not a reason others should relish in, because they should be ashamed as they have not done anything and used Kosovo and Metohija “as an ATM from which they took money to finance their parties for political profit and boasting”, the Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija said.

“Those who condemn Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija from the comfort of their armchairs and those who do not enjoy the trust of our people in the province, were not even with these people all this time and if you ask them to name Serbian towns in Kosovo and Metohija, I am convinced that they wouldn’t know how. But they are the first to condemn these people struggling to survive in Kosovo and Metohija in almost impossible conditions”, Đurić underlined.

He thanked those who are ready to say “Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija”, today and always, in the center of Priština, head raised and loud and clear, who would repeat in the provincial parliament the position of Serbs, our people, in Kosovo and Metohija, where those who criticize them have no courage to even step into.

Serbia will continue to express solidarity, to help Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija financially, politically, morally and in any other way.

“And I have one question for the critics – do they maybe consider that it is best for these people to accept the parties who have Great Albania in their program. These people are against Great Albania, and for an autonomous province of Kosovo and Metohija and are not afraid to say it where it is the hardest”, Đurić said.

As he said, they won’t be judging Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija for deciding on their own how to address the issue of perseverance in villages and enclaves in impossible conditions.

“Unlike some representatives of political parties – Boško Obradović, Vuk Jeremić and Saša Janković who apart from judging did not do anything for them – we will not do that”, stated Đurić.

When asked if and how Serbia will react should judiciary bodies fail to arrest Ramush Haradinaj, as per Interpol arrest warrant, upon his visit to another state as the Prime Minister of the provincial institutions, Đurić reiterated that Serbia’s position remains the same and that she will not remain silent and revoke arrest warrants.

“Serbia reacts legally and in line with norms of international and domestic laws. Haradinaj has an arrest warrant issued by Interpol, and that will not change”, declared Đurić.

Reporters inquired if Đurić will shake hands with Haradinaj in Brussels, and the Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija responded that our views of Haradinaj remain consistent, while adding:

“There is no reason for you or anyone else to feast on the precarious position of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, who are struggling to prevail… It is easy for you to admonish from Belgrade people who must walk by former infamous KLA bases to escort their children to school. It is easy for you and me to judge them from here because we do not live there with them”, Đurić said.

Đurić: Everyone knows who is responsible for the transform of the dialogue

Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Marko Đurić, declared today that we all know who is responsible for the transfer of Belgrade-Pristina dialogue from United Nations.

“We all know who is responsible for the transfer of the dialogue – the same ones who are bad-mouthing these people in whose mandate Serbs were not represented in provincial institutions and were not elected with 90% votes. I am talking about Boris Tadić and Vuk Jeremić during whose regime the dialogue was transferred from the UN where we could count on Russia’s and China’s veto, leaving us in turn confused and in search of a solution”, Đurić answered the reporters at the press conference held after the meeting with representatives of Serbian list at the Serbian government.

When it comes to the decision about the form of participation in provincial institutions, he added that Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija had to choose between “a lesser evil” and that Serbia will not turn her back on Serbs who won with 90% of votes at the elections and have the right to choose what is best for them.

“We will not turn our backs on them for a second. We will stand beside them, with them, as always because that is an honorable thing to do. Our obligation, as a state, is to be with the people in Kosovo and Metohija, rather than nonchalantly try to profit from people struggling to survive in Kosovo and Metohija”, Đurić concluded.

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