Petkovic: For the first time in Brussels about the concrete steps for the formation of the CSM

The director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, said that today in Brussels, in the new round of negotiations within the dialogue on the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, the most concrete steps for the formation of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities had been discussed for the first time and that the text of the declaration on the missing persons had been agreed upon.

"We had long and difficult talks, and regardless of the fact that they are not at all pleasant, it is important to talk, because that is the way we keep the peace, and above all, protect our people in Kosovo and Metohija. It is important to talk also for the sake of normalization of the relations because that's the only way we can preserve stability in the entire Western Balkans," Petkovic emphasized in a statement to journalists.

He reported that specifically today, at the level of the main negotiators, they had discussed how to proceed with the implementation process and, first of all, the formation of the CSM, because that, he underlined, was the first obligation that had been agreed upon in Ohrid.

“Believe me, after so many years today, for the first time in the framework of a trilateral meeting, we discussed the most concrete steps for the formation of the CSM. More precisely, what the Management Team should do, in accordance with the agreements from 2013 and 2015. It was clearly established that the first step in the formation of the CSM was the presentation of the draft statute prepared by the Management Team, within the framework of a high-level dialogue," Petkovic explained.

He pointed out that the text of the declaration on the missing persons had been determined, which would be officially adopted during the high-level meeting.

This, he says, is important, first of all, because of the families of all those who are missing.

"I would add that we took special care of all terms, and that we did not accept the one mentioned in the international convention on enforced disappearance, because we took care not to jeopardize the interests of the state of Serbia," Petkovic underlined.

He said that energy had also been discussed and that it had been agreed to continue those discussions with the operators.

He stated that there had also been talk about license plates, in connection with which he particularly emphasized the violation of all agreements by Pristina regarding license plates and freedom of movement, considering that Pristina was violating both the latest agreements from September 2021 and the agreement from November 23, 2022.

"We also came out with constructive proposals. Pristina has refused it for now, but in any case, the most important thing is to insist on peace, to see how to talk and solve problems in a peaceful way. Any stopping of our people, vehicles, or ambulances is not a way to achieve the normalization of relations. It is important that we find solutions, and that is why, thinking above all about the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija that we have to protect, it is important that we in Brussels take care of how to keep them safe, because you can see that we are all witnesses of daily attacks. And we openly talked about it here, about all the incidents, attacks, and everything that Pristina is doing through its unilateral moves," he pointed out.

Petkovic said that a number of important issues had been discussed and that the talks would continue because that was the only way to progress.

"We have shown constructiveness; that we respect all that we have committed to, and when it comes to all previously reached agreements and the agreement from Ohrid, with our clearly stated red lines when it comes to how far we can go in the implementation process," Petkovic concluded.