“Nothing will change on the ground,” says Branimir Stojanovic.
This year, Kurti’s government took several steps to dismantle those parallel structures in an effort to extend Pristina’s authority in the north as much as possible. His government has also phased out the Serbian currency, the dinar, which many Serbs received their salaries or pensions in, replacing it with the euro.
While the integration of ethnic Serbs into Kosovar institutions has been part of agreements between Pristina and Belgrade, Western governments criticized Kurti for the timing of those steps with tensions still running high.
Speaking to RFE/RL on September 16, a State Department spokesperson called for both sides to act responsibly.
“We call again on Serbia and Kosovo to refrain from further escalatory rhetoric, uncoordinated actions, or legislative acts that run contrary to the normalization of their relations or jeopardize stability and security,” the spokesperson said.
Branimir Stojanovic, a member of the Serbian National Movement in Kosovo, told RFE/RL he did not expect Vucic’s demands to improve the lot of ethnic Serbs.
“Nothing will change on the ground,” he said. People are “demoralized and disappointed with the circumstances in which they live.”
He pinned the blame on Serbian List’s strategy.
“A bad policy has collapsed, and now the ordinary people will pay the price. Politicians or officials won’t pay it,” he said.
Serbian List did not respond to RFE/RL’s request for comment regarding Vucic’s demands or the local Serbs’ criticism of the party.
Source link : https://www.rferl.org/a/ethnic-serbs-kosovo-jobs/33123320.html
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Publish date : 2024-09-17 07:00:00
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