Veljko Odalovic, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told the RTS News, that the arrival of Johannes Hahn is very important as well as talks both in Belgrade and Pristina. He says that the talk with the representatives of Pristina is important because, as he says, ”they forgot that there are Serbs in those institutions as well. “
He explains the decision of the Serbian List MPs to close themselves in the Kosovo parliament as another attempt to make Pristina reasonable. He believes that Hahn will ask Pristina to abandon “adventures and provocations” and abolish 100 percent tax on goods from Central Serbia and BiH, in order to create an environment that will normalize the situation in Kosovo.
“To create an environment, as it already begun and has been supported by all higher officials, where Pristina will return to the negotiating table and discuss the future, on topics that normalize the overall relations, life in the territory of KiM, to care of a common man, the child, the elderly, the people who now feel insecure and unsafe,” Odalovic says.
He points out that the actions of Pristina mostly affect the Serbs living in Kosovo and that Hahn should hear them out about what is happening in Kosovo.
“It should be recalled that the Serbs came out with the support of Belgrade, in good faith and intention, that it was part of the dialogue that was held in Brussels …. They became part of those institutions and ignoring them and the attitude towards them is unacceptable” says Odalovic.
Odalovic believes that the result of the Hahn’s visit to Pristina should be concrete in order to make sense at all.
“He is certainly not going to give them support,” Odalovic says, adding that he believes Hahn will intensify pressure on Pristina in the coming days.
Suppression of print media and procurement of elementary things are speaking about Pristina’s panic and powerlessness, believes Odalovic. He also commented on Solomon Islands’ decision to withdraw Kosovo’s recognition, saying that there will be more of such decisions and that it annoys Pristina.
“They send a message sent by Serbia, sent by a progressive part of the world, and that is a dialogue – solve it, agree on it, find a viable solution, we will all support you,” Odalovic says.
