Moscow Condemned Murder of Serbian Politician in Kosovo

___________________________

Editor:

I’d bet that the Americans had a hand in this. They’re “making America great again”… please, do spare me…

BMD

On Tuesday, the MID RF said:

We resolutely condemn this cowardly act. Attempts to settle political scores using such methods are fraught with exacerbation of atmosphere of terror and recurrence of the interethnic conflict in the region. We call on all international missions in Kosovo to use their mandates to take exhaustive measures to prevent possible incidents in the region. We hope that corresponding structures will conduct a thorough investigation of what happened to expose those responsible and duly punish them.

On Tuesday, Oliver Ivanović, 64, the leader of the Kosovo Serb party Freedom, Democracy, and Justice, was shot dead as he entered his party’s headquarters in Kosovska Mitrovica. A fellow party member said no one heard any sounds of shooting and a neighbour who was returning from shopping found the wounded politician. Police later found a burnt car without an identification number, which the killers allegedly used. Ivanović was taken to hospital with five gunshot wounds to his chest. Doctors tried to save his life but to no avail.

Earlier, Ivanović served as the State Secretary of the Ministry for Kosovo and Metohija in the Serb government. In January 2016, he was sentenced to nine years in jail for alleged war crimes against Albanians in 1999. In February 2017, the first-instance court’s verdict was overturned and a new trial began. Ivanović was under house arrest and in April 2017, he was allowed to defend himself in court at liberty.

16 January 2018

TASS

http://tass.com/politics/985331

See also:

Serbian president calls murder of top Kosovo Serb politician “‘terrorist attack”

Leading Kosovo Serb politician killed in drive-by shooting, prosecutor says

Belgrade suspends dialogue with Kosovo in EU due to Serbian politician’s murder

Serbian party leader killed in Kosovo: reports

Advertisement

State and Church Share “Close Views” on Kosovo

______________________________

On Thursday, Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić met with Serbian Patriarch Irinej Gavrilović “to discuss his proposal for a final settlement for Kosovo”. Nikolić, who often meets with the SPC head, said that his recently announced platform “would go towards what Serbia can accept as a final solution, without threatening its sovereignty and territorial integrity”. After a meeting that lasted almost two hours, President Nikolić told reporters that he and the Holy Synod have “very close views” about the issue, saying, “We talked about Kosovo and Metohija, the fate of our nation, our territory, the SPC, security in Kosovo and Metohija, and about how I see a solution”.

He noted that these are still “only discussions and consultations” and that there’s no “formal document” to present to the President of the Government, and, then, to the public. Nikolić said, “I presented some of my thoughts and I didn’t meet disapproval or disagreement from the Holy Synod. So, we’re very close in our thinking about what it should look like in the end”. Asked when the public would see the document, he said that he’d work “closely and intensively” to agree on this with President of the Government Aleksandar Vučić, “because such a document requires general agreement, or at least consent from the assembly, for what the government would propose on behalf of the President. It isn’t something that we should argue about, it’s a document in which we must find solutions that the government would support, as the body that needs to implement it and that’s negotiating in Brussels”. He called for patience, saying that we must wait for the meeting between Belgrade and Priština in Brussels, scheduled for 9 February, “to attempt to continue where (the dialogue) came to a halt a while ago. It seems to me that in that time we’ve all had time to think about what’s happening and what awaits us, and I think that we understand that procrastination and wasting time isn’t working in favour of Serbia”.

Nikolić said the other topics covered today included problems in the functioning of the Church, its relationship with state authorities, and the issue of restitution, saying, “The church has concerns about developments in Kosovo and Metohija, and I think it’s proper for His Holiness and the Synod to want to be informed about what’s being done, how far we’ve come”. Nikolić added that, as a member of the SPC, he’s anxious to know the views of the Synod, whilst exchanging thoughts with the Patriarch “helps make many things clearer. Now, I think that the need to meet more often is very manifest, at a time when we might face great temptations in solving major Serbian issues”.

22 January 2015

B92

http://www.b92.net/eng/news/society.php?yyyy=2015&mm=01&dd=22&nav_id=92956

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić sez “We’ll Never Abandon Kosovo Serbs”

_______________________________

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić delivered Christmas greetings to Patriarch Irinej Gavrilović and to all Orthodox Serbs on Monday, Orthodox Christmas Eve. In his Christmas message, the Serbian president’s press service said that President Nikolić wished a most joyous Orthodox holiday in peace and happiness to all Serbian citizens and to all Orthodox believers, saying, “Dear brothers and sisters, citizens of Serbia, Serbs in the diaspora, Christmas is a symbol of joy, unity, peace and gentleness. This is a holiday that brings together the family, sets up strong ties through the force of faith and love, and it brings together all Serbs”. The president wished a happy Christmas to Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, going on to say, “Rest assured, we’ll never abandon you, we’ll never turn you over”. He added that this was an obligation and legacy from our ancestors, who gave their lives selflessly in the fight for this spiritual and ideological symbol of the Serb people.

Then, he pointed up, “It’s unimportant that those who spent their whole existence dedicated to materialism, who seek to satisfy their spiritual hunger by amassing wealth, mock our spiritual striving. What matters is that we, who have our essence, origins, and spirituality, persevere on the road of righteously maintaining our identity, origins, and culture”. Nikolić emphasised that this made us who we are… “a brave and just people, special, and noble”. Then, he said, “I wish a merry Christmas to Serbs in the region and Serbs in the diaspora, who know how hard it is to live outside the mother country, and how hard it is to earn your daily bread and prove that you aren’t second-class citizens. Our thoughts and love are with you”, adding that although physically far apart, Serbs would stand together in love and unity on this most joyous Orthodox holiday, saying in conclusion, “Dear brothers and sisters, the challenges ahead are great, but unity is something we should all strive to achieve. We should overcome personal vanities and animosities, and work together because we share the same goal”.

6 January 2014

B92

http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics.php?yyyy=2014&mm=01&dd=06&nav_id=88892

Brouhaha Over SPC Stance on Kosovo

______________________________

A report in the Belgrade-based weekly Nedeljnik claimed that the Holy Synod of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) “requested the Serbian President and Prime Minister to reject the agreement on integrated crossings management” and that it presented its own plan to solve the Kosovo problem. In the meantime, a spokesman for the SPC Holy Synod specifically branded this report as false.

Nedeljnik wrote that the proposal has eight points that range from the “abolishment of Petar Stambolić‘s borders to a request to remove US Camp Bondsteel“. In the letter, the SPC Synod reportedly called on the state officials “not to take part in the country’s suicide. We expect the current government and parliament to reconsider all agreements of the previous government about the ‘crossings’ that haven’t been approved by parliament, instead of accepting ‘integrated border management’”. The SPC “requests state organs to demand guarantees from the international community for the return of thousands of expelled [Serbs] from Kosovo, restoration of houses and churches, and to pass a law on restitution of the state and church property in Kosovo before any other talks”. According to the weekly, the letter was sent to President Tomislav Nikolić, Prime Minister Ivica Dačić, First Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić, and opposition leaders.

The weekly published the letter a day after Dačić met with Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi in Brussels, where they discussed the implementation of the integrated crossings management. However, Bishop Irinej Bulović of Bačka denied that the letter is authentic. Today, a delegation of northern Kosovo Serbs will meet with Nikolić, and Dačić and top Serbian officials met late last night. The prime minister said after the meeting that the state leadership fully agreed on a policy towards Kosovo. Nikolić met with Patriarch Irinej Gavrilović in June, July, and November; he asked for the patriarch’s support and blessing for the state policy towards Kosovo.

6 December 2012

******

Patriarch Irinej Gavrilović denied that the SPC Holy Synod sent a letter to the state leadership regarding the situation in Kosovo. He told Blic that the Synod didn’t write the letter, which strongly criticises state policy towards Kosovo, saying, “This letter didn’t come from us, and the Church distances itself from the written and released letter”. When asked who the author of the letter was and who’d sent it to the media, Irinej said that he didn’t know, emphasising, “I don’t know who the author was, or, who forwarded it, as the alleged position of the SPC, to the media”. The patriarch said that he’d already presented his position on the situation in Kosovo. Earlier, he stated that Serbia should work towards EU membership, but that it shouldn’t renounce Kosovo for the sake of the EU membership. At the time, Irinej said, “If we have to renounce (Kosovo), thanks for the invitation, we’ll continue to live our difficult and hard lives as we’ve lived in the past 500 years”.

Nedeljnik reported that the SPC Synod requested the state leadership to reject the agreement on integrated crossings management. However, the weekly also published an interview with Metropolitan Amfilohije Radović of Montenegro and the Littoral and Archbishop of Cetinje, who said, “President (Tomislav) Nikolić surely knows the opinion of the Church, and that its position hasn’t changed. Recently, the Synod informed him about the position in writing as well”. Amfilohije didn’t say whether that was in reference to the letter published by Nedeljnik.

6 December 2012

******

For now, Patriarch Irinej said that the SPC wouldn’t release a letter sent to President Tomislav Nikolić. He also added that the SPC’s position on Kosovo was well-known. He told Večernje Novosti, “I don’t see any reason why it’d be necessary to release the letter that was given to the President or what would be achieved by it”. Irinej repeated that he didn’t know who wrote and released a letter that claims that the SPC Synod was opposed to state policy on Kosovo and denied that it was authentic, adding, “The position of the Serbian Church on Kosovo’s future is well-known and this letter wouldn’t change anything. We’ve submitted our perspective to the state leadership, so, the release of the letter’s content doesn’t depend on us anymore”.

8 December 2012

B92

http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2012&mm=12&dd=06&nav_id=83513

http://www.b92.net/eng/news/society-article.php?yyyy=2012&mm=12&dd=06&nav_id=83517

http://www.b92.net/eng/news/society-article.php?yyyy=2012&mm=12&dd=08&nav_id=83553