The new Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanovic has a new strategy for Kosovo – most of his work will be in Kosovo.

Your party has won a very small number of votes in Kosovo. Will that hinder your cooperation with the inhabitants on the ground, where the Radicals and the DSS received most trust?

“The problem of Kosovo is not a party one, but the most serious state and national problem. Serbs in Kosovo live in extremely difficult conditions, without elementary rights. Their problems overgrow party interests, and whenever in the past, and this happened many times, party interest was before the national and state interest, this didn’t bring good to Kosovo citizens. The DS won 15 percent of the votes in Kosovo at the last elections, but I think the trust of Kosovo citizens’ trust in the state of Serbia is most important, and it will not lack if we improve the position of the people in the province. Primarily in those regions south of the Ibar River, where northern Kosovo will not be neglected in any way.”

Albanians consider that they ‘ended’ the story on Kosovo’s status with the unilateral proclamation of independence. They have their institutions that Serbs do not recognize. On the other side, Serbs constituted their municipalities and formed their assembly. What kind of compromise can we possibly expect here?

“After the recently held local elections, Serbs and Goranis formed municipal assemblies that will help them in daily functioning and work in resolving concrete, daily problems. The assembly of the community of municipalities in Kosovo has been formed on the basis of the agreement of political parties that operate in Kosovo, and, as you know, they are composed of delegates of the newly formed municipal assemblies of Serbs and Goranis. The assembly has a consultative character, it doesn’t pass laws and other acts, and in that sense, the Ministry and the government will behave in an adequate way towards that institution. As regards Albanian institutions, they are formed on the basis of the illegally proclaimed independence, which was recognized by a relatively small number of countries and they actually represent parallel institutions both according to the Serbian Constitution and UNSCR 1244.”

Still, you and your party representatives didn’t take part in the constitutional session of the assembly of the community of municipalities in Kosovo?

“It is known that the DS offered support to the forming of the assembly of the community of municipalities as this confirmed that Kosovo is an integral part of Serbia. But, we wanted to wait for the government to be formed and its stand regarding the assembly. The government confirmed the validity of the assembly and, regardless of the fact that we are not satisfied with the manner of elections and the number of delegates, we will attend the work of the assembly.”

UNMIK has announced that it will not cooperate with Serb representatives elected on the basis of recent local elections, while at the same time UNMIK Head Lamberto Zannier requests a meeting with the authorities in Belgrade. Do you see any change in UNMIK’s relation towards Serbs, or is this only an alleged wish for cooperation without respecting Belgrade’s stand?

“UNMIK has a mandate received by the UN SC, and we expect that it will adhere to its mandate. We expect UNMIK to accept very quickly the local authority and establish cooperation with legitimately elected Serb representatives and other non-Albanians, because that is in the best interest of not only Serbs but also that mission and the UN.”

There is an increasing number of countries, such as Russia, which advocate the necessity of continuation of negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina, while others consider that it is possible to negotiate only on ‘technical issues’ that concern the life of Kosovo inhabitants. What choice between these two paths do you expect?

“We support continuation of negotiations, because negotiations represent the only method for finding a compromise, mutually acceptable and lasting and sustainable solution to the Kosovo status. As regards talks on so-called technical issues, we will discuss everything that can contribute to the survival and life of Serbs and non-Albanians in the province, while the highest state bodies, government, parliament and the Serbian President will decide on the modality and content of these negotiations.”