"Belgrade unmoved by drowning accident"

Belgrade daily Danas says "no Serbian government officials" have expressed their condolences for the drowning of Kosovo Albanians at the Hungarian border. The ethnic Albanians were trying to illegally cross the border when as many as 16 are believed to have drowned in the Tisa River in the north of the country. "Belgrade unmoved by drowning accident" The lack of reaction by Serbian senior officials shows the difference between the official state policy that Kosovo is Serbia and the everyday reality of the situation, according to this newspaper. On the other side, Kosovo Albanian government in Pristina yesterday declared a day of mourning for the victims. The daily’s attempts to try to get an answer from the government and its Ministry for Kosovo on why there was not reaction was not successful. Belgrade Center for Human Rights Director Vojin Dimitrijevic said it amounts to “another in a long line of symptoms which do not point to the fact that this is a decent country”. “This is another symptom, this time it is a complete lack of empathy. It is a matter of identifying Serbia only with its citizens of Serb nationality. Kosovo Albanians are then not our citizens. It looks as if they are officially, but in practice, in the soul, they are not. On the other side, Pristina needs to explain what kind of new Kosovo this is which people are risking their lives to get out of,” Dimitrijevic said. Analyst Vladimir Todoric said that Kosovo Albanians "are not Serbian citizens" and that they "do not wish to be". “No one in Kosovo will be upset over the fact that Belgrade did not proclaim a day of mourning, or even sent a telegram of condolences, or reacted to the tragedy in any way. The fact is, however, that hypocrisy dominates here in relation to the people we perceive as Serbian citizens. A more drastic example is the problem with issuing passports to Kosovo citizens. The reality is that none of the Kosovo Albanians will be Serbian citizens any longer. Kosovo Serbs can only participate in the intentions to partition Kosovo, which official Belgrade wishes would happen,” Todoric said. “Not only does the political elite not live in reality as far as the Kosovo problem is concerned, but it also denies this practice constantly, and continues to insist on maintaining this virtual reality,” believes this analyst. Kosovo Serb official Radmila Trajkovic also weighed in to say that “as a Serbian citizen and a citizen that lives in Kosovo” she would have liked to see the Serbian president express his condolences over the drowning victims. She also said that "it is obvious that the international community is following closely what Belgrade is doing in its relations with Kosovo". "I am sure that all senior political officials feel compassion and that no one is happy that the tragedy occurred, but I regret the fact that this was not shown publicly,” Trajkovic said. She went on to say that "it is a shame that political context and populism has entered into everything, even the most elementary and natural human emotions, such as empathy with the families of the victims". “It is inconceivable that steps are being weighed through the political prism related to the tragic deaths. I wish that this event was not looked at from an institutional position of any official. I would have liked to read a telegram of condolences from my president. In the end, experience has shown that all policies are up to the individual,” Trajkovic was quoted.

"Belgrade unmoved by drowning accident"

The lack of reaction by Serbian senior officials shows the difference between the official state policy that Kosovo is Serbia and the everyday reality of the situation, according to this newspaper.

On the other side, Kosovo Albanian government in Priština yesterday declared a day of mourning for the victims.

The daily’s attempts to try to get an answer from the government and its Ministry for Kosovo on why there was not reaction was not successful.

Belgrade Center for Human Rights Director Vojin Dimitrijević said it amounts to “another in a long line of symptoms which do not point to the fact that this is a decent country”.

“This is another symptom, this time it is a complete lack of empathy. It is a matter of identifying Serbia only with its citizens of Serb nationality. Kosovo Albanians are then not our citizens. It looks as if they are officially, but in practice, in the soul, they are not. On the other side, Priština needs to explain what kind of new Kosovo this is which people are risking their lives to get out of,” Dimitrijević said.

Analyst Vladimir Todorić said that Kosovo Albanians "are not Serbian citizens" and that they "do not wish to be".

“No one in Kosovo will be upset over the fact that Belgrade did not proclaim a day of mourning, or even sent a telegram of condolences, or reacted to the tragedy in any way. The fact is, however, that hypocrisy dominates here in relation to the people we perceive as Serbian citizens. A more drastic example is the problem with issuing passports to Kosovo citizens. The reality is that none of the Kosovo Albanians will be Serbian citizens any longer. Kosovo Serbs can only participate in the intentions to partition Kosovo, which official Belgrade wishes would happen,” Todorić said.

“Not only does the political elite not live in reality as far as the Kosovo problem is concerned, but it also denies this practice constantly, and continues to insist on maintaining this virtual reality,” believes this analyst.

Kosovo Serb official Radmila Trajković also weighed in to say that “as a Serbian citizen and a citizen that lives in Kosovo” she would have liked to see the Serbian president express his condolences over the drowning victims.

She also said that "it is obvious that the international community is following closely what Belgrade is doing in its relations with Kosovo".

"I am sure that all senior political officials feel compassion and that no one is happy that the tragedy occurred, but I regret the fact that this was not shown publicly,” Trajković said.

She went on to say that "it is a shame that political context and populism has entered into everything, even the most elementary and natural human emotions, such as empathy with the families of the victims".

“It is inconceivable that steps are being weighed through the political prism related to the tragic deaths. I wish that this event was not looked at from an institutional position of any official. I would have liked to read a telegram of condolences from my president. In the end, experience has shown that all policies are up to the individual,” Trajković was quoted.