Petkovic to Elgersma: Pristina undermining all achievements of the dialogue through unilateral actions

Director of the Serbian Government's Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic met today with the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Serbia, Martijn Elgersma, to discuss the Belgrade–Pristina dialogue, pointing out that the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities has still not been established more than 13 years after it was agreed.

According to a statement issued by the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petkovic drew Ambassador Elgersma's attention to what he described as the unilateral and anti-Serb actions of the authorities in Pristina, led by Albin Kurti.

As stated in the press release, Petkovic told his interlocutor that Belgrade remains a credible partner in the dialogue and continues to respect all agreements signed in Brussels to date, whereas Pristina has, for more than 13 years, failed to fulfill its obligation to establish the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities. The Association, the statement notes, constitutes the cornerstone for safeguarding the collective and individual rights of Serbs in Kosovo, and its implementation was guaranteed by the European Union itself.

Petkovic particularly emphasized that Pristina not only fails to honor the agreements it has signed, but is also dismantling all achievements of the dialogue on the ground through unilateral and unlawful actions, while violating the fundamental human rights of the Serbian people.

"Of particular concern are the politically motivated and arbitrary arrests of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, carried out on political grounds and without any legal basis, with the aim of intimidating and driving our people from their homes. He recalled that 37 Serbs were detained at Gazimestan during the Vidovdan commemoration, some of whom were subjected to police torture, brutality, and shameful and degrading treatment by the so-called Kosovo Police," the statement said.

The statement further notes that Belgrade remains committed to building peace, fostering coexistence, and normalizing relations on the ground through the Belgrade–Pristina dialogue, but argues that the other side is using the current political crisis in Pristina as a pretext to delay the dialogue while continuing to take unilateral actions to the detriment of the Serbian people.

"It is therefore essential that the European Union, through its mechanisms, encourage Pristina to adopt a responsible and committed approach to the Brussels dialogue and refrain from all unlawful actions that run counter to the spirit of the normalization of relations," the Office for Kosovo and Metohija concluded.