Petkovic: Resolution 1244 still a valid document, Kurti cannot diminish its importance

The Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, says that even a quarter of a century after the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1244, it remains a legally binding umbrella document, despite all the efforts of Pristina and Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti to minimize the significance of this agreement by continually violating international law.

“Contrary to the ideas of secessionism that are more alive than ever in Pristina, and the ideologies of Greater Albanian chauvinism and ethnic intolerance of all kinds towards the Serbian people in the province and the Serbian Orthodox Church, the so-called Kosovo is still a provisional entity recognized by less than half of the contemporary world, operating within the boundaries defined precisely by UN Security Council Resolution 1244,” Petkovic says.

He emphasizes that due to Kurti’s violent and warmongering policies, the hard-won peace in Kosovo is under greater threat than ever, and the patience of the Serbian people is the only barrier against his dreams of inciting new conflicts and ideas of an ethnically cleansed Kosovo.

“Today, we are witnessing many representatives of the international community openly violating international public law and the principles contained in Resolution 1244, by openly aiding and arming the so-called Kosovo Security Forces, even though it is well known that the only armed formations in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija should be KFOR units. In the days, months, and weeks ahead, Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, and families who have lost their loved ones, will be marking a quarter of a century of unpunished crimes that have occurred since the arrival of international forces in the region, which is a stain on the reputation of all those who were supposed to guarantee peace to the Serbs,” Petkovic adds.

He notes that despite all the challenges and destructive secessionist efforts in Pristina, neither Kurti nor anyone else will ever be stronger than the universal and enduring values of international law and norms, no matter how much they demonstrate force daily over the backs of the Serbian people.

“As long as President Aleksandar Vucic is in office, our diplomatic struggle for Kosovo and Metohija will continue with undiminished intensity and the vigor of the arguments provided by international law,” Petkovic concludes.