Serbia Authorities should support the agreement on Kosovo

To the President of the Republic of Serbia, 

Government of the Republic of Serbia and 

to the National Assembly, 

 

We, the undersigned organizations and individuals, ask the President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić, the Government of the Republic of Serbia, and the National Assembly to accept the proposals regarding taking the necessary steps leading to the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Prishtina. The institutions of the Republic of Serbia and their representatives, as holders of public functions, are obliged to guarantee to their citizens and future generations the full implementation of future agreements between Kosovo and Serbia. 

 

This is a historic opportunity for the authorities in Serbia and its citizens to accept reality and lay the foundations for building good-neighborly relations between Serbs and Albanians, which would permanently change the perspective of the entire Balkans. Any impossibility of negotiating with Prishtina has its roots in our conflictual past. It is necessary to find solutions by working on the causes that represent our misunderstanding and have consequences on people’s daily lives. 

 

Our societies need mature and responsible political action, which opens up space for exchange at all levels and changes how we view each other for more than three decades. We consider it necessary for permanent social healing to continue with the stopped process of searching for the fate of those killed and missing during the armed conflict in Kosovo and to start implementing transitional justice mechanisms at the institutional level. 

 

The institutions of Serbia must be determined, persistent, and ready to stop the extremist policies and actions of various groups and individuals, including those groups and individuals who act or have acted with the support of the authorities in Serbia and who threaten peace, the European future of the country and promote the violation of human rights, discrimination, hatred, and lies in public space. 

 

The European negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina and the agreement presented to the negotiating parties must be communicated transparently, with all relevant information being public. The new agreement is a good opportunity for Serbia to turn around and build a policy of reconciliation that will build relationships, preserve peace and strengthen the rule of law. This is also an opportunity for Serbia to show the world that its readiness to move forward is reflected in the courage to make decisions that contribute to resolving historical conflicts. Only such a political and social course is a guarantee for not repeating the conflicts of the past and building a future in which we are not a threat to each other but partners. 

 

Signatories: 

1. Youth Initiative for Human Rights Serbia

2. Heartefact

3. Center for Practical Policies

4. Civil Rights Defenders

5. Institute for European Affairs

6. Civic Initiatives

7. Women for Peace

8. Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia

9. Novi optimizam

10. Center for Human Rights – Niš

11. Konsultacija za lezbejke

12. Nataša Govedarica

13. The Center for Cultural Decontamination

14. Women in Black Serbia

15. Belgrade Center for Human Rights

16. Humanitarian Law Center

17. Biljana Srbljanović

18. Svetislav Basara

19. Atina – Citizen Association for Combating Trafficking in Human Beings and all Forms of Gender-Based Violence

20. RECOM Reconciliation Network