The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, said on Tuesday that he will present Serbia’s demands, due to “substantial and brutal attacks on the Serbian population in the north of Kosovo”, although he did not specify what it is about.

Vučić said that in the next 72 hours he will address the public about “what the international community has not fulfilled, about what Serbia requires and intends to do”.

The Serbian president made these comments after meeting with the European Union envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak.

In addition to Lajcak, he also met with the American ambassador in Belgrade, Christopher Hill.

Vučić said that Serbia is always ready for dialogue.

“Well, Serbia is not ready and will not allow the persecution of the Serbian population, and it is clear that this is the only goal of the Kurti Government”, he said, referring to the Prime Minister of Kosovo.

The Serbian President has said that in October he will present “proposals with far-reaching impact” to the Serbian Parliament.

After the meeting with Vučić, Lajcak wrote in X that the Serbian leader raised “strong concerns about the situation of Serbs in Kosovo”.

“I emphasized that we must discuss and find agreed solutions in dialogue”, the European emissary wrote in X.

Lajcak said that his visit to Belgrade was aimed at preparing the next meeting between Kosovo and Serbia, at the level of chief negotiators.

As for the closure of parallel Serbian institutions in the north of Kosovo, Vučič said that they are “illegal and criminal actions” of Albin Kurti, and that the QUINT countries have only verbally condemned those actions.

The European Union, but also the QUINT countries (the United States, France, Britain, Italy and Germany) have criticized Kosovo for what they considered unilateral and uncoordinated actions in the north of Kosovo.

These criticisms have come after the Kosovo authorities closed on August 30 five parallel Serbian institutions in the north of the country – an area inhabited by a majority of Serbs – saying that they acted in violation of the laws and the Constitution of Kosovo.

Among the institutions closed by the Kosovo authorities, on August 30, are: the District of Mitrovica of Kosovo, the parallel Municipality of Mitrovica, the parallel Municipality of Zveçan, the parallel Municipality of Zubin Potok and the parallel Municipality of Leposaviç.

In Kosovo, there are municipalities, public enterprises, kindergartens, primary and secondary schools, and public universities that are financed directly by the Government of Serbia, and are located in the cities where Serbs live.

According to the laws of Kosovo, these institutions are illegal.

Kosovo and Serbia have an agreement to close Serbian parallel structures since 2013, but it has not been fully implemented.

Preparations for the new round of dialogue

During his visit to Pristina, days ago, Lajçak said that agreement has been reached for the new round of dialogue between the chief negotiators – Besnik Bislim and Petar Petkovič – but he did not give details on when the meeting will take place.

He has confirmed that Serbia has withdrawn from the letter sent to Brussels last year, in which it expressed reservations about the implementation of the Agreement for the normalization of relations between the two countries, as for the implementation Annex.

The Prime Minister of Serbia at the time, Ana Bernabić, sent a letter to the EU, through which she said that the agreement is acceptable only in a context that does not refer to the de facto and de jure recognition of Kosovo.

The agreement of 11 articles, among other things, foresees a level of self-management for the Serbian community in Kosovo and mutual recognition of state symbols, while asking Pristina and Belgrade to also implement all previous agreements reached during the dialogue.

Lajçak recently said in an interview for Radio Free Europe that he considers that the societies in Kosovo and Serbia are not ready for normalization.

Kosovo and Serbia have been in dialogue in Brussels, with the mediation of the EU, since 2011.

The parties have reached several agreements, but so far only some have been implemented./Radio Free Europe