Petkovic: Today's action by Pristina in the village of Banjska is a part of the plan of ethnic cleansing of the Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija

Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, stated after the Kosovo Privatization Agency, with the assistance of the police, seized the "Rajska Banja" complex, that Pristina had thus confirmed its intention for a comprehensive occupation of northern Kosovo and had sent a message that Serbia had no right to assist its people in any way.

Petkovic emphasized that "political extremists in Pristina enjoy mistreating the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija", especially on significant national and religious holidays.

"Today, on St. Nicholas Day, members of Kurti's police raided the 'Rajska Banja' complex in the Municipality of Zvevan, completely unlawfully and under the threat of force, expelling workers maintaining the hotel and restaurant of the same name", Petkovic stated.

The Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija pointed out that, in this way, Pristina had once again sent a message to the Serbs that they did not have the right to develop their local communities or the right to work and social security.

"In addition to attacking the collective rights of the Serbs with this demonstration of force, today's world's inviolable right to property has been violated because extremists from Pristina in the municipalities and the Serbian Orthodox Church and private individuals in the north of the province are now violating and seizing property every day, without any hesitation or need to justify it", Petkovic stated.

He emphasizes that in this way, Pristina has confirmed its intention for a comprehensive occupation of northern Kosovo and sent a message that Serbia has no right to assist its people in any way since the tourist-recreational complex "Rajska Banja" is one of Belgrade's strategic investments in northern Kosovo.

"The limits of Kurti's insolence and thuggery obviously do not exist, and it is clear that today's action by Pristina in the village of Banjska is a part of the plan for the ethnic cleansing of the Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija", Petkovic stated, adding that he would inform the international community, including the mediators in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, about this attack as well.