Petkovic: The postponement of the implementation of the laws on foreigners and vehicles must not remain the final outcome of international engagement

The Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, stated that the two-month postponement of the implementation of the Law on Foreigners and the Law on Vehicles must not remain the final outcome of international engagement, as otherwise—he noted—the survival of the Serbs, as well as the dialogue on the normalization of relations itself, would be seriously called into question.

Petkovic said that Pristina’s Law on Foreigners and the decision on vehicles represent a continuation of institutional violence by Pristina against Serbs who live and work in Kosovo, and constitute a new escalatory move by Albin Kurti, which is absolutely contrary to the agreements reached in the dialogue.

“Besnik Bislimi’s statement—that the postponement period should serve Pristina for further pressure on the Serbs—is entirely threatening and malicious. The institutions of healthcare and education form the backbone of the survival of the Serbian people and represent the very heart of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities. In this regard, any statement that envisages the life and survival of the Serbs without the CSM is extremely dangerous,” Petkovic said.

He stressed that there can be no talk of “Bislimi’s reckless ideas,” particularly, as he noted, when it comes to healthcare and education.

“That is why I will also use tomorrow’s meeting with Peter Sorensen in Belgrade to once again underline that there can be no progress in the dialogue without the CSM, and to point out the malicious statements by Kurti and Bislimi that most seriously undermine the dialogue and the possibility of finding a compromise solution,” Petkovic concluded.

The First Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo in charge of European integration, development and dialogue, serving in a technical mandate, Besnik Bislimi, announced that the implementation of the Law on Foreigners and the Law on Vehicles will begin tomorrow, with a transitional period until 15 March during which visitors will be informed about the new procedures and rules.

“The Government of Kosovo announces that this period of affirmative implementation should be used to the fullest in order to initiate the process of substantive integration of the healthcare system and the education system throughout the entire territory of the country,” Bislimi said.