Petkovic after the meeting in Brussels: A solution must be found at the political level

Serbia's chief negotiator in the dialogue with Kosovo, Petar Petkovic, emphasized that today's meeting had been difficult and added that Belgrade, by its presence, had shown its willingness to resolve issues through dialogue, as a responsible party, Serbia would do everything to reach a solution during the talks in Brussels.

After the meeting with representatives of the CBK in Brussels, he said that Belgrade's delegation had appeared responsibly and argued, pointing out the catastrophic decisions of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti to ban the dinar and consequently ban salaries, pensions, and social benefits for 100,000 Serbs and other communities living in Kosovo.

"The delegation I led consisted of representatives of the Ministry of Finance and the Postal Savings Bank," Petkovic said.

He said that Belgrade, by his presence, had shown seriousness and intention to find a solution, unlike Kosovo negotiator Besnik Bislimi, who had not shown up.

He emphasized that it was clear that the unilateral decision of the authorities in Pristina and the CBK implied seeking a solution that required a political level of discussion.

"That is why I was present today, but Mr. Bislimi was not. The consequences of such unilateral decisions are political and they affect the survival of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. When Bislimi says that he should not come to Brussels because the issue of the dinar is not a topic for dialogue, let me tell you that the dinar and the payment system of the Republic of Serbia have never been discussed in the dialogue before. However, considering that this decision directly affects the lives of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, it undermines the process of normalizing relations. Of course, this will be discussed in Brussels. Where else would it be discussed if not here?" Petkovic asked.

He added that it was therefore important to show full commitment and to discuss the issue in good faith.

"That is why we came prepared with our delegation, pointing out the catastrophic consequences and the extent of these decisions made in Pristina without any reason. In other words, it is known that their real reason is to drive out the Serbs from the territory of Kosovo and Metohija," Petkovic added.

As he added, in the discussion with representatives of the CBK, it had been heard that Komercijalna Banka had more accounts compared to the Postal Savings Bank, which, as he stated, was not true.

"There are over 55,000 user accounts in the Postal Savings Bank through which all payments related to various expenses towards institutions, as well as salaries, pensions, social benefits, scholarships, etc., are processed. This clearly shows that there is no real reason for the CBK decision and that they do not know all the details regarding Serbia's payment system, but that it is a political decision," Petkovic said.

He emphasized that Belgrade, as a responsible party, would do everything to find a solution in Brussels and stressed that they had particularly insisted that the contentious parts of the regulation be removed, but also that the Postal Savings Bank must continue to operate in Kosovo.

"It's not just about the people, which is most important to us, but also about institutions, schools, hospitals, kindergartens, because if they don't have the means to receive income to pay for electricity and other expenses, the question arises of how they will survive, pay for heating, and other material costs," he emphasized.

He stressed that all pressing issues had been addressed in Brussels today and perseverance had been shown in finding a solution so that the Serbs in Kosovo could receive salaries, pensions, and social benefits.

"We insisted that solutions must be found as soon as possible. We are on the threshold of March, people should receive payments for February, if Kurti prohibits payments, the question arises of how people will receive salaries," he said.

He emphasized that a sustainable solution must be found that would not jeopardize the survival of the Serbs in Kosovo and enable further discussions to continue.

"All this that Kurti is doing shows that he does not want to form the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities. By abolishing the dinar, he wants to abolish the institutions of the Republic of Serbia in Kosovo, which represent the basis for forming the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities. In discussions with Lajcak and bilaterally with EU representatives, as well as after the trilateral meeting of our experts with representatives of Pristina, we pointed out all the problems. Lajcak and I have come to the same conclusion that a political level is needed to resolve Pristina's unilateral decision. So when Bislimi says that he has nothing to discuss and will instead send people from an expert level, they cannot solve anything, we are here because Brussels is the place to solve problems. I expect further discussions on this issue and as soon as a new call from Lajcak arrives, we will respond," Petkovic said.

He emphasized that the crucial question was the necessity of maintaining and surviving the branches of the Postal Savings Bank and the Post Office both north and south of the Ibar River because that was the only way to ensure that the Serbs received their wages.

"The state of Serbia will do everything to enable the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija to receive their incomes in one way or another," Petkovic concluded.