Petkovic with Jenca: Kurti is creating one crisis after another with the goal of expelling Serbs

The Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, met today in Belgrade with the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia, and the Americas, Miroslav Jenca, and informed him about numerous escalatory moves by Pristina and the unbearable living conditions for the Serbian population in Kosovo, the Office for Kosovo and Metohija announced.

In that context, Petkovic specifically emphasized the latest in a series of unilateral moves by Pristina, led by Albin Kurti, plans to build two new bridges on the Ibar River, which he said are directly aimed against the interests of the majority-Serb population in northern Kosovo, who have clearly expressed their opposition by signing a petition against these infrastructure projects.

"This move by Pristina came immediately after the expulsion of 11 Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija who were employed in police departments in central Serbia, clearly showing that Kurti is creating one crisis after another with the aim of destabilizing the situation on the ground and expelling Serbs in order to permanently alter the ethnic structure of Kosovo and Metohija," Petkovic warned, adding that since Kurti came to power, there have been 667 ethnically motivated incidents in Kosovo.

The Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija stressed that Serbs both north and south of the Ibar River are facing institutional and physical terror from Pristina, arbitrary arrests, fabricated political trials, and the closure of vital institutions, resulting in existential endangerment and the complete disenfranchisement of the Serbian people.

"Belgrade remains strongly committed to dialogue with Pristina as the only sustainable path to normalizing relations in Kosovo and Metohija and to building peace and stability on the ground. In that regard, it is essential that Pristina fulfills its obligations from the dialogue and establishes the Community of Serb Municipalities, which the Serbian people have been waiting for over 12 years," Petkovic emphasized.

He thanked Jenca for the constructive cooperation, especially with the UN Office in Belgrade, and highlighted the importance of the role of the United Nations and the respect for UN Security Council Resolution 1244 in preserving peace, as well as Serbia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He also underscored the importance of the UNMIK mission, in which the Serbian people in Kosovo have great trust, and from which they expect stronger efforts in protecting their endangered rights and existence.