Belgrade, Pristina – Serb decision to participate in the central government in Kosovo is a constructive move, given that due to the “encouragement” and “blessing” they’ve got from Belgrade will be able to strongly represent their interests, assessed for Danas political experts.
In their view, such an arrangement of representatives of Serbs from Kosovo and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic allows Belgrade to influence decision-making processes in Pristina, or to become an “insider”.
Henry Bone, director of the office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) in Belgrade, comments for Danas that with joint work Serbian municipalities in Kosovo will be in a better position to represent the interests of Kosovo Serbs, and that it will be easier to maintain communication with Belgrade and receive support from it.
“It will also facilitate the establishment of community of Serbian municipalities, which creation is a key part of the Brussels Treaty. If the Serbian list becomes part of a coalition government in Pristina, a strong message will be sent to everyone that all parties want to cooperate in strengthening the process of normalization and want to solve the remaining problems,” said Bone.
Selatin Kllokoqi, an analyst at the Pristina Institute D4D (Democracy for Development), told Danas that the latest decision of Belgrade is a wise one for the Serbian community in Kosovo.
“By participating in the government Serbian community will be able to play an important role in any decision-making that have a direct impact on their future. The greatest significance of the move is related to the fact that the Serbs will become part of the Kosovo government with the blessing and full support from Belgrade, which was not the case with the participation of Serbs in the previous government,” said Kllokoqi.
Aleksandar Popov, director of the Centre for Regionalism from Novi Sad, said to Danas that Belgrade acts pragmatically, because a turn was made in relation to the “counterproductive” policy of Vojislav Kostunica. “Belgrade has come a long way since the boycott of Kosovo institutions. Serbia now has the opportunity to become an insider in Pristina, and Serbs, who will be a part of the Kosovo government, as well as those in local governments, will coordinate positions with Belgrade,” said Popov.
