Majority of Serbian citizens for lasting peace with Albanians in Kosovo

(Patria) - Three-quarters of Serbian citizens support lasting peace with Albanians in Kosovo, announced the Institute for European Affairs (IEP).

This Belgrade-based NGO published its research according to which 75 percent of respondents are in favor of peace with Albanians, and 9.3 percent are against such a relationship with the majority population in Kosovo.

"Younger citizens and residents of Belgrade are more against it, unlike the oldest who are more often in favor of establishing lasting peace. There are the fewest opponents from the regions of eastern and southern Serbia," states the IEP.

The Institute specifies that the majority (70 percent) do not support the recognition of Kosovo as a condition for Serbia's entry into the EU, that the majority are against the EU plan for the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina (69.8 percent), and that 57.7 percent of respondents would vote against Kosovo's independence.

Citizens' opinions on whether the current government led by President Aleksandar Vučić and Prime Minister Ana Brnabić will recognize Kosovo's independence are divided: 32.3 percent consider it possible, 39.8 percent that they will not do so, while 27.9 percent are undecided.

More than four-fifths of respondents do not know what the Serbian government's plan for Kosovo is.

"Almost half of the citizens would not support Vučić's plan that would bring a stable country and a better standard but at the cost of Kosovo gaining independence," stated the IEP.

The research was conducted from May 11 to 29, 2023, on a representative sample of 1,200 people, reports RSE.

On February 17, 2008, Kosovo declared independence from Serbia, which has been recognized by more than 100 countries.

Official Belgrade does not recognize Kosovo and treats it as an autonomous province within Serbia by its Constitution.

Of the 27 EU countries, 22 have recognized Kosovo, while Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Slovakia, and Romania do not recognize it as a state.