Serbia needs an independent Kosovo to get rid of the illusions and mistakes of the past • KosovaPress

Samardžić: Serbia needs an independent Kosovo to get rid of the illusions and mistakes of the past

Serbia needs an independent Kosovo in order to emerge from the illusions, mistakes and crimes of the past and to direct its development towards the future in general, and I do not see the Europeanisation of Kosovo possible without the Europeanisation of Serbia, says historian Nikola Samardžić.

“In this respect, I am of the opinion that Belgrade and Pristina should exert pressure to satisfy our general need, namely a near future when Bulgaria and Romania will enter the Schengen area, a near future which means, I hope, the defeat of Russia in Ukraine, and that includes our more specific needs to enter the Schengen area as well, to have our currencies fully euroised, to do business without problems, to move around and mutually enjoy the transformation of culture,” he says in an interview with Geopost. The professor from the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade stresses that this shows that Serbia does not have enough relevant political power and that it respects not only the reality that Montenegro and Kosovo are independent states from Belgrade, but also the need for Serbia to define its borders in such a way that they disappear into the Schengen area and finally become a full state instead of a provisional incomplete one that suits radical and criminal elements and Russia, and that the incomplete status becomes a thing of the past for its neighbours – for Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

“I also see dangerous lobbying from Belgrade and Moscow, and in Zagreb, in the circles of the socialist left, close to the Serbian patriarch. Until clear boundaries are set, Vuçiq will not deviate from these goals, which have been the essence of Serbian politics for the past 120 years, to provoke temporary instability and disaster,” says Samarxhic.

As for the “anti-violence protests” in Belgrade and their potential to unleash real forces of change in Serbia, Professor Samardžić points out that the current protests actually arose from a revolt against two massacres in Serbia, which is a tragedy for which no society is sufficiently prepared, but also because of inadequate, often inhuman reactions of the authorities and a large part of the public, referring to the media. “These protests are politically directed against the most important sources of violence, namely the media and the state officials most responsible for encouraging and tolerating violence, namely the Minister of Police (Bratislav Gashiq) and the head of the secret police and secret service (Aleksandar Vulin).”

Samardžić stresses that we live in a time of extreme dynamic change, so the position we have today, or the impression that surrounds us today, may no longer be valid for the future.

“In this respect, I hope that the changes facing Europeans in general will also occur; I would reduce them to dealing with the legacy of populism and Russian aggression against Ukraine as challenges that Europe will have to face in each of its territories and in each of its peripheries, including Serbia and Kosovo.”

As for the West’s attitude towards Vuçiqit and Serbia, he stressed that the West had started to react too late to the problems of corruption and organised crime. “And although corruption is political, not just economic, and I am referring to Russian and Chinese influence, these are two important points in the economic stronghold of Vuçiqit – northern Kosovo and the port of Tivari – from which illegal substances are transported.”

And the illegal drug trade is one explanation for the economic boom that, according to Vuçiq, has kept the middle class happy until recently.

“In fact, in the last month, those who have been beneficiaries of his transition, or those who have not been unfairly harmed in that transition, have rebelled against Vuçiqit, but Vuçiqin and Daciq have supported the losers of the transition, who have promised since 2012 that this will not happen again, and they are who they are.”

Samarxhic believes that the increase in KFOR forces in northern Kosovo is currently contributing to the division of Kosovo, recalling the latest statement by the Chairman of the Serbian List, in which he expressed his satisfaction with the reinforcements approved by KFOR on the understanding that they respect the commitments made and that he trusts them.

“And not only in this case, we are also reaching the absurd situation that the West is punishing Kurti and allowing Vuçiqin and his friends in Bosnia and Montenegro, and increasingly of them in Zagreb, to do almost everything,” Samarxhic said.

Kosovo, he says, remains a doomed party in relations with the EU, as visa liberalisation has not yet taken place.

“In addition to the sanctions against Kosovo, I would add the discriminatory attitude of the EU in general towards the Muslims of the Balkans, who have the right to be Europeans as much or more than the Muslims of Germany or France.”