Petkovic: Vucic exposed Kurti's campaign of lies; the truth about the suffering of the Serbs in Kosovo was heard at the UN

Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, stated today that holding a session of the United Nations Security Council at Serbia's request, and President Aleksandar Vucic's speech, were of exceptional importance for the country, adding that the importance of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and the UN Charter had been reaffirmed.

"Firstly, once again, the importance of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and the UN Charter has been confirmed. Secondly, the highest international political body could hear the full truth about the suffering of the Serbs in Kosovo, from the regime of Albin Kurti, through the concise, accurate, clear, and fact-based speech of the president. Thirdly, Vucic exposed Kurti's campaign of lies, as in recent months there has been a narrative from Pristina that Belgrade will attack Kosovo, which is the 'most democratic country in the world'," Petkovic said for TV Pink.

He added that the President of Serbia had used seemingly ordinary words, but his speech had been carefully composed, and every word had been carefully considered.

Petkovic emphasized the legal constructions related to crimes against humanity and everything else that Kurti did, leading to irreparable harm to the Serbs, whom he intentionally subjected to intolerable living conditions through violent and unilateral acts.

In response to Kurti's statement that the Serbs in Kosovo had nothing against using the euro, Petkovic pointed out that there had been many tricks, lies, and manipulations at the session, but Vucic had clearly stated what the decision to abolish the dinar meant.

"By doing so, it directly strikes at the survival of the Serbs, with Kurti continuing his policy of persecuting the Serbs, as 14 percent of them left Kosovo in one year due to his violent policies".

He emphasized that by abolishing the dinar, Serbian institutions, whose foundations relied on Serbia's payment system in dinars, were directly affected.

"Kurti has no right to make such a decision because, according to the Brussels agreements from 2013 and 2015, Serbia has the right to finance the CSM. And all these institutions – schools, hospitals, kindergartens, local governments – are the basis for the formation of the CSM. Pristina's goal is to directly strike at the Serbs," Petkovic pointed out.

In response to the observation that 13 out of 15 Security Council member states condemned Pristina's actions, while politicians in Kosovo say the session was unnecessary and a defeat, he said that the stance toward Kosovo had been most clearly expressed by the demand for convening this session and the fight to keep it open, which many had opposed.

"All the figures, everything Vucic said about the unlawful legalization of what Kurti is doing through the Kosovo system, the expropriation with which he wants to destroy the Serbs... We had the opportunity to speak about Pristina's real goal. Almost 13 members stood up in defense of Serbia, meaning they said Kurti had violated everything with the decision to ban the dinar and wanted to provoke new instability, instead of moving towards de-escalation," Petkovic said.

He added that there had been a reaffirmation of Resolution 1244 and the UN Charter.

"We showed how to fight in the UN Security Council. I was particularly proud of Vucic when he said that Serbia was a free, independent country that made its own decisions," Petkovic said.