Petkovic in China: The crisis generated by Pristina threatens to spill over the entire region

During his official visit to China, Petar Petkovic, the Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija of the Serbian Government, met today with Deputy Foreign Minister of China, Deng Li, to whom he conveyed Serbia's full support for China's territorial integrity and sovereignty and thanked them for their principled support for Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Petkovic briefed Deng Li, who is also the Secretary-General of the Secretariat for Cooperation between China and Central and Eastern European Countries at the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, about the challenging security situation in Kosovo, where the Serbian people were facing difficulties, especially since the arrival of Albin Kurti in power, characterized by a rapid increase in violence towards the Serbian and other non-Albanian communities in Kosovo and the violation of their basic human rights.

"There is no desire in Pristina to reach a compromise through dialogue and de-escalation of the current crisis, which was provoked by the Pristina side with its violent and unilateral actions, organizing illegal elections, and taking over Serbian municipalities in northern Kosovo. This crisis generated by Pristina threatens to spill over the entire region," Petkovic warned, particularly emphasizing that for a full ten years, Pristina has been refusing to form the Community of Serb Municipalities in accordance with the 2013 Brussels Agreement.

Deng Li assured Petkovic that China would continue to support Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity while firmly opposing Pristina's unilateral actions.

He emphasized China's support for finding a peaceful solution to the Kosovo issue based on UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and specifically highlighted Beijing's support and insistence on the prompt establishment of the CSM.

According to the statement from the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, both sides expressed satisfaction with the exceptional relations between Serbia and China, characterized by a comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, which was further enhanced by the friendly relations between Presidents Aleksandar Vucic and Xi Jinping.

They highlighted their readiness to further deepen all forms of cooperation and, in that regard, intensify political dialogue at the highest level.

Deng Li specifically mentioned that the Chinese side had commenced intensive preparations for the upcoming visit of President Vucic to China, in connection with his participation in the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, stating that Serbia's President would be "welcomed in China as a brother."

During the conversation, opinions were exchanged on the modalities for further strengthening the overall cooperation between the Republic of Serbia and the People's Republic of China, both through bilateral channels and within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative and the China-Central and Eastern European Countries Cooperation Mechanism, which Serbia has actively supported since their launch.