Petkovic: Pristina's goal is for the Community of Serb Municipalities (CSM) to be an empty shell, Serbia's measures are bringing us back to the dialogue

The Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, emphasized that the set of measures Serbia has introduced regarding the situation in Kosovo is aimed at preserving peace and stability in Kosovo and ensuring the protection of the Serbian people, who are enduring agony "due to the unilateral escalatory actions of Albin Kurti."

In an interview with Informer TV, Petkovic stated that Serbia has responded with a set of measures to counter everything Kurti is doing through his anti-Serbian policies and ethnic cleansing.

He pointed out that Pristina, led by Kurti, has been undermining the dialogue for over two years.

"They are doing everything to trample on previously agreed-upon agreements, refusing to form the Community of Serb Municipalities (CSM), and using violent acts to expel the Serbian people from Kosovo, primarily from the north. This is ethnic cleansing, and we raised this issue when we called for a special session of the UN Security Council earlier this year. Now, with this set of measures, which represents a package of aid, support, and diplomatic efforts, we want to highlight that the Serbian people have been pushed to the edge, and if the international community does not actively intervene, we will face a catastrophe, one which Serbia and President Aleksandar Vucic will not allow," Petkovic stressed.

He added that with these measures, Serbia is attempting to stop Pristina through peaceful and diplomatic means.

"We are doing everything to proceed peacefully toward establishing the necessary atmosphere for normalizing relations," he said.

He explained that the first point refers to the status quo ante, where the situation needs to be restored to the period before Kurti initiated unilateral actions, actions that lead to the expulsion of Serbs, the closure of Serbian institutions, and the increased presence of the Kosovo Police in the north, where they have no place.

"These are essential preconditions for continuing meaningful dialogue. What we have now is a simulation of dialogue. I am heading to Brussels tonight, and we have a continuation of negotiations at the technical level. We have always been ready and will continue to be ready for talks," he said.

He reminded that since Kurti came to power, there have been 543 recorded attacks on Serbs, Serbian institutions, churches, arrests, shootings at children, harassment of people, blocking of Serbian goods, illegal expropriations, and more.

"At the Bistrica bridge, seven Serbs were shot, and the international community’s reaction was minimal – just verbal condemnation, and that’s where it ended. They oppose it, but seeing that it all ends with weak statements, Kurti continues," he emphasized.

He stated that all of this must be stopped. He added that for tomorrow he requested a meeting and expressed willingness to meet with the representatives from Pristina, but Besnik Bislimi refused.

Petkovic emphasized that Pristina refuses to form the CSM so they can claim there are no institutions, no Serbs, and thus no need for the CSM.

The Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, emphasized that the set of measures introduced by Serbia regarding the situation in Kosovo aims to preserve peace and stability in the region and protect the Serbian population, who are enduring suffering "due to the unilateral escalatory actions of Albin Kurti."

In an interview with Informer TV, Petkovic stated that Serbia's measures are a response to Kurti's anti-Serbian policies and efforts at ethnic cleansing.

He pointed out that, for over two years, Kurti's administration in Pristina has been undermining the dialogue.

"They are doing everything to trample previous agreements, to avoid forming the Community of Serb Municipalities (CSM), and to expel the Serbian population from Kosovo, primarily from the north, through violent acts. This is ethnic cleansing, and we spoke about it earlier this year when we called for a special UN Security Council session. Now, with this set of measures, which includes aid, support, and a diplomatic offensive, we want to highlight that the Serbian people have been pushed to the brink, and if the international community doesn't step in actively, we will face a catastrophe, which Serbia and President Aleksandar Vucic will not allow," Petkovic stressed.

He added that Serbia is attempting to stop Pristina through peaceful and diplomatic means.

"We are doing everything to move peacefully toward creating the necessary atmosphere for the normalization of relations," he stated.

The first point, he explained, is returning to the status quo ante, meaning restoring the situation to what it was before Kurti initiated unilateral actions that led to the expulsion of Serbs, the closing of Serbian institutions, and the presence of Kosovo Police forces in the north, where they have no place.

"These are essential conditions for continuing meaningful dialogue. What we have now is a simulation of dialogue. Tonight, I am heading to Brussels for technical-level negotiations. We have always been ready and will remain ready to talk," he said.

He reminded that since Kurti came to power, there have been 543 recorded attacks on Serbs, Serbian institutions, churches, arrests, shootings at children, harassment of people, blocking of Serbian goods, and illegal expropriations.

"At the Bistrica Bridge, seven Serbs were shot, and the international community's reaction was minimal—just verbal condemnation, and that’s where it ended. They oppose it, but seeing that it all ends with weak statements, Kurti continues," he emphasized.

He also pointed out that Pristina refuses to form the CSM in order to claim that there are no institutions, no Serbs, and thus no need for the CSM.

Petkovic highlighted several necessary steps, including the scheduling of elections in the four municipalities in the north and the full implementation of Article 9 of the Brussels Agreement, which involves the return of Serbian police officers, the return of Serbian judges and prosecutors, and the withdrawal of all Kosovo Police special forces from the north.

"We are demanding the immediate and urgent formation of the CSM, without any delays or challenges. They aim to make the CSM an empty shell without authority for the Serbs, functioning like an NGO. If that’s what we wanted, without authority, we wouldn’t have spent so many years negotiating in Brussels. Ten people from Mitrovica could have gathered and formed it," he emphasized.

Petkovic also addressed the need for U.S. and EU protection guarantees for those arrested during the barricades.

"We received guarantees from the U.S. and EU that all Serbs involved in the barricades would be protected and not arrested. Previously, all Serbs from the barricades were being arrested and blacklisted. We were promised that all political prisoners, including the 86 arrested individuals, would be released," Petkovic explained.

Regarding the shutdown of Serbian institutions in the north of Kosovo, Petkovic emphasized that people no longer have access to basic administrative services. He stated that Serbia will not shut down its institutions and that it will continue to fight for them.

He also mentioned plans for establishing a mobile office in Rudnica, where people will be able to handle their administrative needs, and announced measures for social protection, including employment programs and financial assistance for the most vulnerable.

Regarding the persecution of Serbs in the north, Petkovic proposed the formation of a special prosecutor's office to prosecute those who illegally target Serbs.

Lastly, he announced that within the next 45 days, Serbia's parliament will adopt a law invalidating all Kosovo government decisions, reaffirming Serbia's commitment only to agreements made in Brussels.

When asked about his expectations from the Brussels talks, Petkovic replied, "We will fight, present our positions, highlight what is necessary, and offer compromise solutions. But the other side must also be ready for dialogue."