Alicia Cairns is a Member of Parliament for the British Conservative Party.

She was elected Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the British Parliament in October last year. 

Kearns also launched the All Party Parliamentary Group on Geographically Protected Foods, for Bosnia and Herzegovina and for UK overseas territory Turks and Caicos.

Prior to being elected, she worked in counter-terrorism at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and then as an independent consultant across the Middle East and North Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Western Balkans. 

Born in 1987, she studied at the University of Cambridge.

Her accusations about the smuggling of weapons from central Serbia to Kosovo with the participation of the Serbian Orthodox Church caused reactions in Serbia. 

DEMOSTAT: What do you think about the current situation in Kosovo?

The current situation in the Balkans is deeply concerning to many MPs across Europe and beyond. There is a clear desire from the international community to support both Serbia and Kosovo to resolve current tensions and move towards peaceful co-existence. However, if the normalisation process is to proceed it must be based on fairness and equitable treatment of both parties – that is not the current approach being taken by the EU and US.

DEMOSTAT: What is your assessment about the recent so-called "Ohrid agreement on Kosovo", also known as"European agreement"? Do you believe that Pristina will finally implement the Association of the Serb Majority Municipalities, which has been one of the main stumbling blocks in the Belgrade- Pristina Dialogue?

I have discussed this with Prime Minister Kurti. A solution can and, I hope will, be found but it will require understanding and compromise on both sides, a de-escalation in rhetoric and a sincere engagement in the EU-led discussions.

DEMOSTAT: Your recent claims about the arms smuggling to Kosovo, particularly the accusation that the Serbian Orthodox Church took part in these illegal activities, were denied by both KFOR and the Eparchy of Raska and Prizren. KFOR stated that there were no pieces of evidence about it. What is your assessment of these reactions? What is your view on the way in which Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic reacted to your claims? He called you "a lobbyist for Kosovo" and said: "We are conducting an investigation to see who is financing you".

It is unbefitting of a Head of State to issue threats against Parliamentarians. I will not allow smears and rhetoric to intimidate me into silence.

In the British system MPs declare all their earnings. The Speaker of the House of Commons and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office have made it clear that threats against me, or any British MPs speaking freely in Parliament, are wholly unacceptable and doing so only weakens Vucic’s reputation in the United Kingdom.

DEMOSTAT: What is your opinion about the decision by the Serbian authorities to temporarily ban arms exports?

It is an attempt to distract from the US’ sanctioning Vulin, the head of Serbia’s Intelligence agency, for organised crime, illicit narcotics operations, and misuse of public office. The suggestion of aggression against the Republic of Serbia is an unnecessarily escalatory rhetoric. 

DEMOSTAT: What is your view on the fact that many pro-Russian media outlets often accuse the British for fueling the wars in the Balkans?

The UK, working with allies, wants to see a Balkans moving forwards, not backwards towards the dark days of the 1990’s. People in the Balkans are some of the kindest and most welcoming you will find anywhere on earth. They deserve better than the perpetual threat of conflict and people exploiting division in the pursuit of power.

No one wants war or conflict in the Balkans, and my every action is to prevent the weaponization of division and hatred that risks bringing conflict to communities who wish simply to live in peace.

Few MPs globally have challenged their own Government, as I have publicly, to ask what they are doing to better support Kosovan Serbs. I have also personally raised with Prime Minister Kurti the need to ensure Kosovan Serbs feel heard and supported as constituents of Kosovo.

DEMOSTAT: What is your comment on the fact that the spreading of the anti-western hysteria in Serbia by the pro-goverment media outlets and tabloids is most often based on the "British conspiracies"?

It is only possible to move a country forward sustainably if it is on a foundation of truth and with a healthy and varied media environment. Just as a house built on sand will inevitably decay, so too will disinformation erode a society.

No politician should fear peaceful and democratic challenge. Whilst divisive narratives may seem a useful tool in the short term, the long-term damage to a country is profound.

DEMOSTAT: In the recent interview with Demostat, Sir Ivor Roberts, the seasoned British diplomat, has said that he believed that the future of Serbia was in the EU and that Russia had nothing positive to offer to this country. Do you agree with him?

Russia only has an interest in using Serbia to further its own aims and ambitions. Ukrainians used to call Russians their brotherly nation and yet Putin instructs war crimes to be committed against them. We all want to see a Serbia prosperous and secure in the EU along with the other nations of the Western Balkans, but Serbia must demonstrate that is does not support the war crimes being perpetrated by Putin in Ukraine and that it would be a sincere partner to its European neighbours.

DEMOSTAT: The website called "The Grayzone", which according to the pieces of information gained by Demostat is directly linked with the Russian and spouts pro-Putin propaganda, states that"no one in the British parliament has been more aggressive in inciting ethnic tensions in Kosovo" than yourself and claims that you have an intelligence ties with the MI6. Is there any truth in these quotes?

This is a conspiracy outlet with direct links to the Russian propaganda machine making wild accusations. As Sir Ivor Roberts said, even a small child would realise this. When autocrats and their outfits attack you publicly for speaking out against their activities, it is a sign that your voice is being heard.