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Aid for Kosovan Serb minority but no Russian passports
Published: 01 December, 2011, 17:48
Edited: 07 December, 2011, 20:16
Austrian NATO-led KFOR peacekeepers stand guard near the village of Jagnjenica on November 30, 2011. (AFP Photo / Sasa Djordjevic)
(22.2Mb) embed videoTAGS: Kosovo, Protest, Politics, Igor Ogorodnev, Rory Suchet
Russian laws do not allow for the granting of citizenship to Kosovo Serbs, but Russia will find other ways to support the suppressed minority, the Foreign Ministry spokesman has said.
Official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Aleksandr Lukashevich said at a press briefing on Thursday that Russia received the message of the group of ethnic Serbs from Kosovo, who asked that they be granted Russian citizenship as they faced constant repressions at home. The diplomat said this request cannot be fulfilled, because the Russian law does not allow it.
However, Lukashevich said that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered to boost the support to Kosovo Serbs in other forms. In particular, Russia will send humanitarian aid to the region and the first aircraft with such aid has already been sent. Russia will also make more effort within the UNESCO program aimed at restoration of destroyed Orthodox sites in Kosovo, the diplomat said.
In early November 2011, around 21,000 Serbs from Kosovo, both residents of the regions and refugees, appealed to Russia’s lower house of parliament for help in obtaining Russian citizenship. The group named protection of their security as the main motive.
The group had been founded by Zlatibor Djordjevic, a former attorney for the Democratic Party of Kosovo and Metohija. Djordjevic said that the international peacekeeping force could not provide enough protection for the ethnic Serbs. “Since the arrival of the peacekeeping forces, who are supposed to protect us, more than 1,000 Serbs have been killed. We are completely without rights, we risk elimination. Even in Serbia there are parties calling for recognition of Kosovo’s independence,” the activist said.
A similar initiative was put forward by a group of Serbian leaders in 2010.
Serbian officials have disapproved of the move. “It would be much wiser to take part in the coming parliamentary elections, and cast a ballot for those who would protect their interests better,” Serbian State Secretary for Kosovo and Metohija, Oliver Ivanovic has said.
Some Russian MPs initially saw the Serbs’ move as positive and useful. Head of the Russian Communist party Gennady Zyuganov stated the request should be given the green light.
However, experts from the parliamentary committee for constitutional law pointed out that the Lower House is the wrong body to address for citizenship.
01.12.2011, 15:58
25 comments
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The Serbs are not alone. They are not small. They are not insignificant. The Kosovo Serbs are a microcosm of all the Orthodox peoples being assaulted by the West.. The Greeks are being victimized by a German financial Blitzkrieg. The Russians are being threatened by an on-going German policy of 'lebensraum' where neighboring Catholic Slavs & Ukrainians are little better than livestock being bought , sold and trained for menial tasks in the EU. Meanwhile the Orthodox Romanians, Moldavians & Bulgarians are stuck in a permanent cycle of poverty. These people are all Serbs being exploited by the new colonial powers of the West.
@New World Order:
Patriotism is just love we cultivate for our nation, country, history, tradition and territory. There must not be any hate against others, but just love for our national identity which is endangered today. I know that "World Government" doesn't look benevolent onto national countries and that's why Western Imperialism is our the biggest enemy. Not Western people, ideology or capitalism itself, but just Imperialism in its single-polar mode. Muslims could be our allies in this struggle. Should I mention that Libyan people until rebels took over the Libya have always been considered and treated as our brothers? Read what Muammar Al Gaddafi has said about Serbs. We don't have problems with any particular religion, but only with occupiers whoever they are.
I understand quite good the position of Russia in relatively complex geopolitical situation including not only Western counterparts, but also the situation in the whole "rimland". It's pretty simple, actually. "Anaconda tactics" is used to slow down and possibly suffocate Russian progress. However, resources of "heartland" are too vast. Anaconda is suffocating a giant much stronger than her, actually and it won't last forever, but at the moment the Russia is still too weak for confrontation with the West not only for one small and insignificant Serbia but even about much more significant interests.
However, Russia has its red lines but Serbia is clearly outside of them. We are too insignificant to them and too small nation that Russia would risk anything with Serbia today, but also I would never want for something like that to happen.
I'm just expecting more Russian political backing for our patriot parties before the next elections, but we'll see what will happen. Grassroots are something really present here, but people massively don't believe to any party today - there's skepticism in people that elections could change anything.
It would be good to assure them that without changes on the next elections, we are doomed!
@agmonser
I wouldn't bet on the ruling party coalition in Serbia losing the election, ever. Remember, they count the votes, and they control the police/media (Dacic, SPS). Election results are what they say, and West confirms true.
@adamnyc
The "elected" leaders of independent Kosovo today were on the USA list of terrorist organization (yes, they were, and still are, terrorists) until 1998 when they were suddenly freedom fighters leading up to war in 1999, and now are US allies. There were no oppressed and tortured Albanian civilians. But, remember, Taliban were also freedom fighters once working with USA. And, now...