Kosovo's acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Friday that Serbia could use "destructive elements" to incite incidents during the Serbian Vidovdan holiday on Saturday in Gazimestan, about 10 kilometers from the capital Pristina.
Speaking at a meeting of the acting government, Kurti said that Serbia will try to divert attention from the anti-government protest expected to take place on Saturday in Belgrade by inciting incidents in Kosovo.
Serbs from Kosovo, Serbia, and the region traditionally mark Vidovdan on June 28 at Gazimestan, a historical monument near Pristina.
Kurti said that - according to assessments by security and intelligence institutions - there are efforts to make the rally in Gazimestan "as massive as possible, therefore groups of Serbs from Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina have been organized to come to Kosovo tomorrow."
"Such groups have traditionally been provocative, carrying Serbian and Russian nationalist symbols that are contrary to the Constitution of Kosovo and are also against democratic and European values," Kurti said.
He said that the Vidovdan holiday, "although of a religious character, has unfortunately been constantly accompanied by political rhetoric, inciting and threatening public security on the part of Serbia."
A week ago, the Basic Court in Pristina overturned the decision of the Municipality of Gracanica to display the Serbian flag in honor of Vidovdan in 2024.
The court's reasoning states that the municipality exceeded its powers and acted contrary to Kosovo laws, having adopted a decision to display the Serbian flag on June 28 - a day that is not designated as an official holiday in Kosovo.
Kurti said that the Vidovdan rallies should be held in accordance with the law, "not be turned into a tool for political instrumentalization by the authorities in Belgrade."/ REL (A2 Televizion)
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