Mayor of Đakovica/Gjakovë Mimoza Kusari Lila said to RTK2 that decision on tearing down of two Serbian houses was brought by the municipal administration because of the safety of its citizens and not because they are owned by Serbs. Kusari said that owners were not informed that their property will be torn down, and that they only informed UNMIK about it.

“We have published an announcement, we’ve consulted the relevant ministry and we informed UNMIK. Since no on approached us we went on with the initiative. When we don’t have any information from the owner and when premises are a threat to public safety, than municipality is obliged to do something. We did the same with premises owned by Albanians,” said Kusari Lila.

Minister for Communities and Return in the Kosovo government Dalibor Jevtic condemned the decision on tearing down Serbian houses and stated that the act of demolition is referred against the process of return.

Djokica Stanojevic, the chairperson of the association of displaced Serbs from Đakovica/Gjakovë said that it is not the first time that houses owned by Serbs are torn down and highlighted that the church was also torn down in Đakovica/Gjakovë in 2004.

When asked whether the municipality will compensate owners Kusari Lila said that they actually did a favor to Serbs by removing those objects. On question whether Đakovica/Gjakovë is an open town for Serbs Kusari Lila replied that it is about the town which went through hardship during conflict and that there are still strong emotions in place.

Even though the crew of the RTK2 was accompanied by the Mayor in Đakovica/Gjakovë, few young Kosovo Albanians have threatened and provoked the crew on ethnical basis.