Petkovic: There is no realistic approach from Pristina, the goal of everything they do is the expulsion of Serbs from Kosovo

Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic stated, following the sixth meeting in Brussels regarding the decision of the CBK to abolish the dinar, that there is no realistic approach from Pristina and that everything the Kosovo authorities do with the dinar aims at the expulsion of Serbian institutions and Serbs from Kosovo.

"We spent more than seven hours in the building of the EU External Action Service. The discussions were difficult and tense. We had direct talks with the Pristina side, which is good. We had the opportunity to present everything regarding the EU's ideas on how to solve the issue of the dinar, given that Albin Kurti, by a unilateral decision to abolish the dinar, endangered the survival of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija," Petkovic told journalists.

He emphasized that this issue must be urgently resolved because Serbs in Kosovo are endangered, and the functioning and existence of Serbian institutions important for their survival are questioned.

Petkovic conveyed that the Serbian delegation has been insisting on meetings all along because they want to continue the dialogue on this issue to find a solution, which shows their constructiveness.

"The new comments we sent to Miroslav Lajcak were made in good faith and were assessed as constructive and offering solutions," he added.

Petkovic said that all along, Pristina's chief negotiator Besnik Bislimi has been making comments and trying to draw different parallels.

"He said he was not interested in Serbs who want to leave Kosovo, only those who want to integrate. He confirmed that Kurti's and Pristina's policy is the expulsion of Serbs, and everything they do with the dinar aims to rid us of our institutions, our people, the lives of Serbs in Kosovo," he stressed.

Petkovic pointed out that it is clear that there is no political will from the Pristina authorities to resolve this issue.

He conveyed that the talks will continue on May 13th and hopes that there will still be some progress, but it no longer depends on the Serbian side.

"We have shown so much constructiveness that it is clear to everyone that the problem from the very beginning lies with Pristina, which, by a unilateral decision, brought everything to this situation, primarily the Serbian population, which is endangered. Today marks the 500th ethnically motivated incident since Kurti took office, which clearly shows the state of Serbs in Kosovo," he explained.

He said that discussions revolved around EU ideas, and the Serbian delegation tried to improve those ideas because the essence was for everyone to come up with proposals and solutions to speed up things and reach an agreement.

Petkovic mentioned that Bislimi constantly spoke about what is legal for him, and he had to point out to him that it is not only Pristina but also Belgrade involved, and what is not legal for Pristina is legal for Belgrade.

"You cannot build your reality that has nothing to do with what is happening on the ground. On the ground, there are people, institutions, there is life, and on the other hand, there is Pristina, which does everything with unilateral moves, police, judiciary to expel them. We heard from Bislimi that he is not interested in those who want to leave Kosovo if they do not want to integrate. Integrate into what? Serbs in Kosovo live in their homes, they are at home there. There are their institutions," he conveyed.

Petkovic said that Pristina claims that Belgrade wants to cause a certain crisis and is a destabilizing factor.

"We have shown all the constructiveness, but on the other hand, Pristina invents something again and only looks at things from its own perspective, which is not compromise or dialogue but an attempt to impose solutions aimed at legalizing unilateral moves. We do not agree to that. We agree to dialogue, finding solutions where we will meet halfway. It is not so much about Belgrade and Pristina but about the Serbian people who suffer the most due to this decision. We are fighting for funding to continue for those people. I hope for a solution, but I am not optimistic because after so many good proposals from our side, there is no real approach to it, and it is clear that there is no political will to resolve this issue," he emphasized.

Petkovic underscored that dialogue is the only place to solve problems.

He also said that the Serbian delegation insists on the Community of Serb Municipalities because, as he said, all this would not be happening if there were such a Community.

"Many things would be simpler and easier if we had the Community, the implementation of agreements," Petkovic said.

Petkovic conveyed that there are certain ideas presented by Lajcak, and new comments on those ideas discussed today will be provided.

"We'll see where we are on May 13th. We will show, as we have so far, constructiveness on May 13th. It must be known that there is another side called Belgrade, and we also have to take care of the interests of our people, national interests, that everything we agree on is in accordance with the laws," he underscored.

Petkovic said that the Serbian delegation, before going to Brussels, showed its proposals to representatives of the international community, which assessed them as constructive.

"And then you come here and have another side that breaks the concept of everything because it does not want to negotiate but wants to see things only from its perspective as if only they exist. Completely incomprehensible. If the idea is to find a compromise solution, then we must understand each other. How if there are constant unilateral moves from Pristina?" he said.

Petkovic stressed that the idea is evidently to continue the pressure on Serbs to leave Kosovo and to reach a point where Kurti will say there are no Serbs, no Serbian institutions, and there is no need for the Community of Serb Municipalities.

"We will not participate in a dialogue where Pristina feigns a kind of constructiveness and continues with its agenda. Provocations, provocations, we had an attempt to use today's meeting to show that they are a state, that they have authority over everything. I've heard that for all these years. We will fight for the rights and dignity of our people, we will strive to maintain peace and stability, which is also Serbia's policy. That is the only thing that can ensure the survival of our people in Kosovo," he emphasized.