Abbot Sava Janjic says to Vreme, the weekly based in Belgrade, that the security situation in Kosovo is very tense after statements by politicians from Belgrade and Pristina, but also from the international community, who talk about “delineation” or “border correction”.
“Such irresponsible statements and a special media campaign that attempts to impose this “solution” on the public as the only right one, worsened relations multiple times between Albanians and Serbs,” Janjic told the weekly Vreme.
He says the formulation of the demarcation of Serbs and Albanians specifically worries, which means “that where one live, the other will not and vice versa” and added that it is a retrograde model that is in line with “the policy of ethnic cleansing in the wars of the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.”
“So, it is no wonder that active support for the politics of division, supported and interpreted by (President of Serbia) Mr Vucic and Mr. Thaci (President of Kosovo), each of them on their own way, gave and one of the ideologists of the idea of ethnic cleansing in the former Yugoslavia, Mr. Vojislav Seselj, “Janjic says.
He adds that the Church is definitely not a supporter of a “frozen conflict,” because that in the long run poses a danger.
“The so-called “frozen conflict” is a notion that nobody in the church has ever used as a “solution” for the Kosovo problem. Every conflict should be resolved in peace and understanding, and “frozen” implies static behaviour. As responsible people, especially those who feel as Christians, we are obliged to be active peacemakers,” said Janjic, adding that the alternative to” frozen conflict “does not mean returning to the ideology of ethnically compact and “pure” territories.
He added that the demarcation of Serbs and Albanians, “announced during the opening of the meat factory”, was a huge instability factor for the entire region and Europe and a great tragedy for Serbs living mostly in the south of the Ibar.
“First of all, we are in favour of a peaceful solution and creating conditions for the security and dignified life of not only our people, but all the others who live here,” Janjic said.
