Petkovic: Kurti, with every move, encourages extremists and sends a message that justice for Serbs doesn't exist

Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, met today with the Japanese Ambassador to Serbia, Akira Imamura, to express his concern about what he described as Albin Kurti's persistent efforts to annul the agreements reached in the dialogue with Belgrade. Petkovic emphasized that Kurti had demonstrated this with his latest statement that he had no intention of forming the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities, which, for the Serbs, serves as a guarantee of security and individual and collective rights, thus undermining all the prerequisites for creating a normal social climate and conditions for coexistence in Kosovo and Metohija.

According to a statement from the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petkovic discussed the political situation in Kosovo and Metohija and the possibilities for continuing the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina with Ambassador Imamura.

Petkovic also expressed concern about the latest in a series of controversial decisions by the authorities in Pristina to release Azem Kurtaj, a member of the Kosovo Security Forces who, on Christmas Eve this year, injured Stefan and Milos Stojanovic from Gotovusa. According to the Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, this is a form of encouragement for extremists and a clear message that justice for the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija does not exist.

In the conversation with the Japanese Ambassador, Petkovic pointed out the daily violence being carried out by Albin Kurti's regime against the Serbs, with over 430 ethnically motivated incidents. Belgrade had been drawing the international community's attention to these incidents, warning of possible consequences, which unfortunately had occurred at the end of September.

"Petkovic stressed that the sole culprit for the current situation in northern Kosovo and Metohija is Albin Kurti, who persists in provocations, unilateral actions, unjustified arrests, and false accusations against the Serbs, as well as illegitimate actions by his special units that are not covered by any agreement in northern Kosovo," the statement from the Office for Kosovo and Metohija said.

Petkovic emphasized that Belgrade wanted to continue the dialogue, but this should be preceded by a de-escalation of the situation on the ground, with Kosovo Police withdrawing from the north and KFOR assuming full responsibility for the protection of the Serbs in those areas.