Office for Kosovo and Metohija: Petkovic is forbidden from spending Easter in Kosovo

The authorities in Pristina led by Albin Kurti have forbidden the Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, from spending the biggest Orthodox holiday Easter with his people in Kosovo and Metohija, as announced by the Office for Kosovo and Metohija.

As stated, Petkovic planned to attend the midnight liturgy at the Visoki Decani Monastery for Easter and to attend the Easter morning service at the Gracanica Monastery, followed by a meeting and Easter egg tapping with the youngest at the Draganac Monastery.

"Although the visit was strictly of a religious nature and included only visits to monasteries, the holy sites of the Serbian Orthodox Church, in the spirit of the biggest holiday among Serbs, without any political intentions, the authorities in Pristina banned his visit without any explanation," the statement emphasizes.

It is added that Kurti has been preventing Director Petkovic from visiting Kosovo and being with his people for over a year, and these bans not only have no basis but also represent a direct violation of agreements on freedom of movement and official visits, especially when it comes to the main negotiator of the Serbian side in the Dialogue.

"The Belgrade Liaison Officer sent a notification of Director Petkovic's visit to the interim institutions in Pristina in due time and in accordance with all valid agreements and agreements, but Pristina continues to unilaterally violate agreements and nullify all the achievements of the dialogue in Brussels. For all its unlawful and unilateral actions, Pristina has been rewarded with the procedure for membership in the Council of Europe, and now the international community should respond to how the daily flagrant undermining of normalization of relations with Belgrade is recommended by the so-called Kosovo for membership in this organization, which should be based on respect for human rights and freedoms," they state.

They emphasize that Pristina daily violates the rights of Serbs in Kosovo and implements escalatory and violent measures, institutional and legal violence.

"Pristina clearly attempts to sever every connection of Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija with their state of Serbia, but we will never allow that, and no bans from Kurti can prevent the state of Serbia from being with its people in Kosovo and Metohija," the Office concludes.