Kosovo will be a good experience
In twenty minutes your train leaves, Dejan tells us. Me and Paolo quickly take a taxi to the train station. Today we leave Skopje and go to Pristina, the capital of Kosovo.
“To Pristina”, we ask a man at that stands next to a train on track five. He confirms and we enter an old train. Directly a man says “to Kosovo”. They must think we are crazy to go to Kosovo.
But we are not: we have a good reason. Both of us are interested in international politics and the situation in Kosovo, a separatist province of Serbia is one of the most interesting in Europe. After the separation of Serbia and Montenegro, there is a big chance Kosovo will be next. “It will be a good experience”, Paolo concludes.
After one hour we reach the Macedonian-Kosovo border. The first custom-person enter the train. “Open!” “The bags”, we ask. After a quick scans he walks on. Another guy entered the train to check our passports. Both of us get a little bit nervous; I hope they will let us in.
The train starts to move. At the left barbwire, at the right barbwire. Now we are in no-man’s-land. After a short ride we stop again. Thru the window we see a United Nations car, some buildings and more barbwire. We are in Kosovo now!
A UN-policeman asks with a French accent for our passport. Paolo hands over his Italian one. Then it’s my turn. No problems. “What’s it going to be? Italy France?” Paolo starts to smile and tell him that he’s sorry that they will win. “It’s fair, you won last time.” We talk some more about the situation in Pristina and crossing the border to Serbia or Montenegro while waiting for the man with the stamp.
“Pristina?”, I ask a man in the train. “No, five minutes”, he answers. The next station will be ours. But it doesn’t really look like the main station. We get out and ask if we’re at the right place. Yes we are, no more stations in Pristina.
Everywhere white jeeps, most of them with two black letters on them: UN. Now in the land controlled by UNMIK, United Nations Mission in Kosovo. But there are more white jeeps: OSCE, Police, UNHCR and a lot more organizations. Why should you feel unsafe in this place Paolo and I think. There is more security here than anywhere else in Europe.
Your last word make me smile – even if two police person will be attached on Your back, and You will talk in Serbian – they (Albanian) will attack You!
I’m one who was in army there (80′s) and than it was problematic to walk in Kossovo like free man.
Before it was nice place to go – nature, people, culture and music – but when Tito gon – all start bad.
Let see if whole world will “catch” the point, and understand that Kossovo will open “Pandora Box”?
best regards from Israel
Hi Miloje,
The problems with Serbia and an independent Kosovo are huge. You cannot predict what will happen if it gets independence. Next to that, I don’t believe the Serbian government will accept independece. Manly because the loose of ground with rich minerals in it. So in the end the only way Kosovo will get it independent will be tru an violent way.
It is true that for a Serb it is not as save in Kosovo as me, a Dutch non-religious person. I heard reports on people getting attacked (and some killed) because they are Serbian, or Albanians in Serbian parts of Kosovo. But I think the international community is trying it best to get a stable relation between the groups, but this is really hard.
Kind regards,
Emiel