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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Daily pressures threaten survival of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija

Belgrade/New York, 20 October 2026

Minister of Foreign Affairs in a caretaker capacity Marko Đurić said in New York this evening that the future of the Serb community in Kosovo and Metohija, including its ability to remain in its ancestral homes, remains uncertain.

Speaking at a United Nations Security Council meeting discussing the six-month report on the work of UNMIK, Đurić said that the mission is essential precisely because its personnel can listen to people whose experiences are too often reduced to a few cautious lines in international reports.

When schools and healthcare facilities are under threat, institutions are closed, and the payment of salaries or the provision of social services is obstructed, everyday life becomes a means of political pressure, he said.

Đurić pointed out that the UNMIK report documented closures and disruptions affecting institutions on which Serbs depend, as well as unresolved issues concerning the return of Serb judges, prosecutors and judicial staff.

According to him, the report also documents the demolition of houses and property owned by Serbs in the area around Lake Gazivode, as well as serious allegations of police abuse.

He stressed that, in the 21st century, we are witnessing scenes that are supposed to belong to a distant past, adding that this sends families a message that the right to a home, the right to private property and protection under the law somehow depend on whether one is a Serb.

Đurić called on everyone to think of a Serbian citizen entering a courtroom who no longer believes that the system understands their language, rights or community.

That is why the reintegration of Serb judges, prosecutors and judicial staff is not a technical detail. It is part of rebuilding the trust without which justice cannot function, the Minister stressed.

He also warned that some of the most prominent political figures in Priština and Tirana had responded by attacking the verdict against former KLA leaders.

Đurić strongly condemned the amendments to the law through which Priština sought to restrict the mandate of the “Kosovo” Specialist Chambers.

Serbia’s position, he emphasised, remained clear: justice for victims must never be sacrificed to political interests.

We seek justice for every victim, both Serb and Albanian, he said, also recalling that 13 years had passed since the agreement on the Community of Serb Municipalities was reached in 2013. Its principles were further agreed upon in 2015, yet the Community had still not been established.

He stressed that the Community of Serb Municipalities was not a reward for Belgrade, nor was it an optional concession to be offered whenever Priština deemed the political moment opportune. It was an obligation undertaken within the framework of the dialogue with Priština.