Official Belgrade's approach to the Serbs living in the northern municipalities of Kosovo and to those living in the Serb-majority municipalities south of the Iber River, at first sight seems the same and the differences are not investigated, says Svetislav Vasić, a pensioner from Graçanica, in near Pristina.

But, according to him, the Serbs who live in the north of Kosovo, and in the North Mitrovica Municipality, enjoy more privileges.

"First, they have freedom, they have work, they have everything.

There are privileges.

There you can go and buy whatever you want.

You can get hired, you can find work there.

My son's daughter has finished college, but she couldn't find a job here.

He went there to [North Mitrovica] and immediately found a job," says Vasiq.

Jovan Milosevic, a citizen from North Mitrovica, estimates that official Belgrade's approach towards Serbs living on the northern side of the Iber River is not the same as towards those who live in the municipalities on the southern side.

"I think that the relationship between Serbia and the Serbs in the south and north of the Iber River changes, in the domain that efforts are being made to help more in the north of the Iber and to establish a small autonomy in the north, which, as I think , it is impossible to do in the south in the future", says Milosevic.

The Government of Serbia allocates funds for Kosovo every year.

It has allocated 96.1 million euros from its budget for 2022.

Of this amount, the Office for Kosovo of this government receives the largest part: 68.3 million euros.

Serbs "marginalized" south of the Ibër river

Regarding the attitude of official Belgrade towards the Serbs in the south and north of the Iber River, a debate was held on Friday at the Media Center in Çaglavicë.

Part of the debate panel were mainly the representatives of the parties of the Kosovo Serbs, which are currently not part of the government in Kosovo. From Lista Serbe, which is the dominant party of the Kosovo Serbs, no one had responded to the Media Center's invitation to Çaglavicë to participate in the debate.

Aleksandar Jabllanovic from Leposaviqi, a municipality inhabited by a majority of Serbs in the north of Kosovo, who leads the Party of Kosovo Serbs, referring to this topic, said that as far as the political aspect is concerned, all Serbs living in Kosovo are marginalized. .

"But I think that the Serbs who live in the south of Kosovo are much more marginalized than the Serbs who live in the north - first of all in the economic sense.

Everyone is politically marginalized, including in the north.

As for the Serbs in the south of Kosovo, Belgrade sees them as a part of our people not organized enough, divided even in the territorial aspect.

But, on the other hand, neither have I investigated any energy of our people, first of all on the southern side of the Ibri, to involve them more actively, to decide their own destiny and not others.

Although, it is not better in the north either", said Jabllanovic.

"The money goes to the millionaires"

Aleksandar Arsenijević, chairman of the Civic Initiative "Serbian Survival" from North Mitrovica, emphasized that ordinary Serbian citizens in the north of Kosovo, however, do not receive most of the funds that Serbia allocates for Kosovo.

According to him, that money goes to the millionaires.

"From the budget of Serbia, for each year, 750 to 800 million euros are officially allocated for Kosovo.

We have not seen that money, because [on the contrary], just for the past 10 years, each of us [citizens], apart from infrastructure projects and everything that is done, should have had from 100 thousand euros to pocket", said Arsenijević, adding that this did not happen.

Certain investments, according to him, especially agricultural tools, are given to certain people by local leaders, with the condition that citizens sign that they have accepted such tools, but which are priced beyond their value.

"Pressure" against the Serbs in the KSF

That the official Belgrade and the local Serbian politicians in Kosovo, who have the support of the Serbian authorities, treat the Serbs who live on the southern side of the Iber River differently from those who live in the north of the country, according to Nenad Rashiqi, the chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party, it has been revealed also through pressure on Serbian members of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF).

"There were about 50 members of the Kosovo Security Force, who had been working for several years.

Most of them were from Anamorava and worked there for a morsel of bread.

All of them have been under incredible pressure."

"However, the last 45 [Serbs] who were employed there, precisely from the north - sometime in 2018 and 2019 - they are part of their system.

There was no problem for them, because they had come there on the recommendation of the power centers", said Rashiq.

All the panelists agreed that most of the local Serbian politicians in power, belonging to the Serbian List, are currently concentrated in the northern part of Kosovo, where, according to them, they can operate more unhindered.

Northern Serbs, "instrument" of Belgrade

But why do these situations happen more in the north than in the south of Kosovo?

Jabllanović estimated that this happens because a specific way of living has been established in the north of Kosovo, which is more independent from the events that take place on the southern side of the Ibër river.

“In [the North] we still have some instruments that enable us to live according to some of our desires and freedoms, as we see and experience them.

The fact that we do not use all those elements that we have available, this often happens because the Government of Serbia convinces us, because it uses us politically, for some other purposes that have nothing to do with the Serbs in Kosovo and with Kosovo ", Jabllanovic said.

He added that Serbia, not infrequently when faced with some difficult topics in the talks it has with the European Union for integration, raises tensions in the north of Kosovo, so that the European side makes concessions.

Rasić estimated that the official Belgrade more easily manipulates the Serbs in the north of Kosovo, because, as he said, the territory there is compact.

In this context, according to him, Belgrade uses the Serbs of northern Kosovo to show "a kind of power to block certain processes".

"They [Belgrade authorities] want to show that they have ways to contest the sovereignty of Kosovo throughout its territory.

They know that this can provoke a strong reaction from the other side.

So they use this more in connection with the agreements, than they want to use it for any benefit of the citizens there", said Rashiq.

Arsenijević said that he sees this approach by official Belgrade as a way to control the Serbian citizens of northern Kosovo.

"For years it has been said that there will be a division [of Kosovo].

In the consciousness of the citizens, there is already the thought that the division will happen and we in the north of Kosovo no longer have to worry, because we are actually Serbia", said Arsenijević, adding that this is only a deception of the Serbian citizens and a way to ensure listening to that part of Serbian citizens in the north of Kosovo who have a right-wing orientation.

The panelists also addressed criticism to the current Government of Kosovo, which, according to them, avoids solving the problems of Serbian citizens in general in Kosovo, leaving room for Serbian citizens to take an opposing position towards this government itself and the institutions of Kosovo, in general. /REL