Petkovic: Kurti does not want peace, he is provoking the Serbs; the West does not want to see that their child is a monster

The Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija of the Government of Serbia, Petar Petkovic, pointed out today that the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, did not want peace and de-escalation, but made the situation difficult for the Serbs in Kosovo in order to provoke them to cause a new crisis and thus avoid implementing the obligations assumed.

Petkovic said on TV Pink that instead of going in the direction of de-escalation and that the Kosovo Police withdrew from the north of Kosovo, Pristina and Albin Kurti were doing the opposite because crises suited them.

"They don't like de-escalation; they don't like the calls of the EU, or the announcement of June 3, in which everyone agreed that the police should immediately withdraw from the north and that the so-called mayors should do their work from alternative locations, as well as that everything should be done to come to the normalization of relations. Instead of going in that direction, Kurti is doing the opposite. It is clear that he does not want peace," Petkovic said.

Speaking about yesterday's arrest of a Serb on the Bistrica Bridge, Petkovic says that he is a young man who is an athlete, who has not committed a single offense, and who is guilty only because he is a Serb and runs a kick-boxing club that was run by Milun Milenkovic Lune before his arrest.

As he says, the way in which he was detained yesterday, in a place where the Serbs are regularly stopped and harassed with long guns, is a real kidnapping. He indicates that he was taken into custody as a witness by handcuffing him and putting him in a police car without identification.

"I don't know that someone is being called as a witness and detained like that. It was a real kidnapping of a young man," he said.

When asked what he should testify about, Petkovic says that he does not have any information and reminds that he was released after a few hours.

He emphasizes that since the beginning of the year, six Serbs have been wounded when the Kosovo Police or Kosovo Security Forces shot at them, as well as that 10 have been arrested in the north of Kosovo, and that arrests are also being made in the south.

According to the Director of the Government Office, the arrested Serbs in Kosovo are being accused of alleged war crimes in order to frighten them and drive them away from their centuries-old hearths. They mainly target, as he says, those who are internally displaced in order to pressure them not to come to visit their properties.

"When an Albanian neighbor wants to take over a house from a Serb who does not live there, in order to pressure them to sell their property, they accuse them of alleged war crimes, bring to court two Albanians who agree that they saw them doing something during the war," Petkovic explained.

Speaking about the case of the arrested people from Strpce in the "Brezovica" case, Petkovic stated that it was unprecedented in history and that Prishtina and Kurti were showing the true face of Serb-hating politics in that case.

"The Nikolic brothers and five others from Strpce were held in custody for a year and eight months. Have you seen anyone, anywhere, being held in custody for almost two years, without proof that they are guilty," Petkovic said and pointed out that when the news had appeared that they had been allowed to be released pending trial and when the families had come to post bail, they had arrested the families and held them until they could post bail.

Petkovic says that a request has been submitted to extend the payment of the bail and that today it will be seen how the situation will develop and he points out that Pristina is doing everything to make the Serbs suffer.

Speaking about the unmarked entry of the Kosovo Police into North Mitrovica, Petkovic states that Belgrade sent a scandalous video to all foreigners, to all those who ask about Kosovo, in which ROSU members with long guns can be seen not only patrolling and thus disturbing the citizens, but directly occupying the center, breaking into bars, cafes, without identification marks and behaving like terrorists.

"When I sent it they were amazed how this was possible because they recently received a grant to wear cameras on their uniforms to prevent abuse. They have no badges, and they have no right to be there, but they are building bases; now they want to enforce the decision on illegal expropriation, to take away buildings and they are doing all this contrary to their internal regulations because they want to show that they claim the north of Kosovo," he said.

Commenting on the statement of the new Kosovo Minister of Defense Maqedonci, who said that it was a matter of time before the KSF would come to the north and that the new political reality would make it possible, Petkovic asked on what basis he was saying this because the KSF had no right according to any agreement to be in the north. He points out that it is confirmed by the fact that they state that the police are a continuation of the KLA and that the real goal of the police and the army is to expel the Serbs and mistreat them as they did during the conflict.

When asked about the photo montage where businessman Jeff Bezos had been made to be the President of the Serb List, Goran Rakic, and Petkovic says that it was first edited by a Serb who posted it on a social network, after which various ambassadors in Pristina began to react. He points out that Goran Rakic has not been to the seaside for the last two years, that his mother passed away on August 9, and that all the weeks and months before that he was with his mother because she was immobile, as well as with the Serbs who are still protesting.

"The man has nothing to do with that photo, but it was not only on social networks but it was immediately taken over by the Pristina media, which shows that they were in cahoots. Unfortunately, there are Serbs who work for Kurti, Pristina – they should be asked why they went against the interest of their people," Petkovic said.

When asked about the future of dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Petkovic reminded that Belgrade had always been a responsible party and had always responded to invitations because it was important for Belgrade to talk.

"Neither President Aleksandar Vucic nor I have ever refused an invitation for dialogue, unlike Pristina, which has refused several times. This time also the President accepted the first appointment, but Kurti said that he couldn’t come then, so now we are going to a new appointment - September 14. Pristina has a plan to humiliate the dialogue, what can we say when they haven't formed the CSM for 10 years," he pointed out.

He says that in the West they see that it is Pristina's fault, but those who make decisions regardless of saying that Kurti will not listen to them, also say that the Prime Minister in Pristina was elected by the majority in Kosovo and has his own mandate.

"In fact, they let him behave like that. Kosovo is a child of the West and they don't want to see that their child is a monster," he pointed out.

However, as he says, it is important to talk within the framework of the dialogue, and Belgrade will do so when it comes to the position of the Serbs in Kosovo.

"We will explain again that we are not to blame for the situation, and since Pristina says that we are to blame for the escalation, we will fight against those lies. It is clear that Kurti is not alone in this, but we will continue to lead an independent and libertarian policy and we will fight for our Kosovo and for the better life of our people in Kosovo and Metohija, mainly because of the children who stepped into the classrooms for the first time today," Petkovic concluded.