North Kosovo Serbs cannot do without Belgrade

Commenting on the statement by Deputy Head of the Government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Krstimir Pantic that there is a possibility that the Serb-majority municipalities in northern Kosovo deliver a decision proclaiming their own independent assembly, Drecun says that “in this phase of negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina, it is necessary to harmonize the stands of the Serbian government and Serbs in northern KiM.” “Any unilateral move of Serbs in Kosovo would only be to the detriment of our side, and would be doomed to failure without Belgrade's support,” Drecun said for Belgrade-based daily Danas. He underscores that Serbia's top officials have regular consultations with Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija, and expects that Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic or some other senior official would do the same. Asked about the meeting between Russian Ambassador Alexander Chepurin and Serbia's officials in Kosovo and his statement that Serbia should “join the life force of Russia” as the EU cannot ensure the country's speedy economic growth, Drecun says that Chepurin's messages “were in line with the stance of Russian officials, who demonstrate on every occasion that they strongly support Serbia in defending its integrity. “At this moment, Chepurin's words about the adherence to UN SC Resolution 1244 have special importance, as Moscow is making it clear that it deems secessionism unacceptable,” Drecun said.