Bogdanovic: Deal with Eulex does not equate to Kosovo recognition
Serbian Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanovic denied the allegations that the agreement between EULEX and the Serbian Ministry of Interior is a direct recognition of Kosovo.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Monday, August 24, 2009
"The agreement for police cooperation has been completed. We expect that it will be signed very soon. It represents a continuation of cooperation which Serbia has had with the UNMIK police, and that is something that is for the good of all Serbian citizens, and for Kosovo as well," Bogdanovic said.
He said that the signing of the agreement will not go against the policies of the state which have been clear since the beginning about never recognizing the Kosovo institutions or Kosovo itself as an independent state.
"The only goal of the agreement is to have an adequate exchange of information with EULEX, in the goal of stopping all possible incidents and conflicts in the province. Serbia is interested in keeping the peace and security in Kosovo, because our experiences have been that most of the victims of these incidents, disorder and ethnic cleansing have been Serbs," he said.
He said that Serbia does not have jurisdiction over Kosovo, or the police, and that it cannot look for criminals, so the agreement will also help to solve the numerous cases of murder and crimes against Serbs and other non-Albanians.
He added that the agreement calls for control to be implemented over the administrative crossings, which the EU is demanding of Serbia in order for visa liberalization to occur.
He reminded that Kosovo citizens are excluded from the visa liberalization process because of inadequate control of people, products and money crossing the administrative lines between Serbia proper and Kosovo.
Bogdanovic said that he hopes that "this protocol with EULEX will enable these people to get on the White Schengen list."
"The only reason for leaving Kosovo out of the process is the security on the territory of the province itself, and the inability of the Serbian state to control adequately the fear of illegal migration, those seeking asylum, crime, terrorism, and drug smuggling. It is well know over the last ten years that Kosovo has not been under the jurisdiction of the Serbian state institutions or the Interior Ministry," he said.
