Petkovic: Serbs are denied the right to bare existence; international community does not react

The Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, pointed out that a year after the unilateral decision of the Pristina authorities to ban Serbian goods in Kosovo, thereby denying Serbs the right to bare existence, almost no one from the international community had reacted.

As Petkovic said for RTS, today marks exactly one year since the imposition of what he emphasizes is the shameful and uncivilized decision by Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti to ban the delivery of Serbian goods to the territory of Kosovo.

"This is the most drastic violation of human rights. It is inconceivable that something like this is happening in the heart of Europe in the 21st century," Petkovic stressed.

He pointed out that during this year, only Serbia had reacted, namely President Aleksandar Vucic, the Serbian government, Minister Tomislav Momirovic, and the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, which, he added, had addressed numerous entities dozens of times.

"But almost no one from the international community reacts, and no one cares how the Serbs live, and this decision has denied the Serbs the right to bare existence. Kurti has revoked the Serbs' right to life, to voice, has eliminated the railway, the delivery of our press, the right to healthcare, has banned the dinar, and he prevents Serbs from receiving salaries, pensions, and social benefits, showing his policy," Petkovic said.

As he noted, not only the Serbian people but also Albanians are accustomed to Serbian products and their quality. However, since the ban, they have had to adapt and find alternatives.
He added that they are forced to buy more expensive and lower-quality products.

"For the second time in five years, we have a ban on Serbian goods. The first time was during the imposition of 100 percent tariffs on Serbian goods, lasting two years, and now for a year during Kurti's time," the director of the government's Office for Kosovo and Metohija said.

He emphasized that with this decision, Kurti violated CEFTA, the Brussels Agreement, and many other trade principles.

"When you consider the most direct damage, it is 210 million euros, but the real damage is much greater because the most directly affected are the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, as many smaller shops that depended on Serbian goods have closed, not to mention that many businessmen are losing their market in Kosovo," he pointed out.

Petkovic said that in this past year, ambassadors had not been seen to speak out on this issue, and he noted they won't speak out today either.

"But when it comes to attacking Serbian unity, assembly, when Serbs talk about their future, then we see attacks from the region and the West. Why don't they speak out when it comes to Serbs? That is the real question," Petkovic asked.

It remains to be seen, in light of all this, he added, what the report of the European Commissioner for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, will look like.

"Except for Belgrade and what we are doing, no one is concerned for the Serbian people. It is our duty to take care of our future, protect our people, but also maintain peace and security," Petkovic pointed out.