Petkovic: We insisted on the CSM and presented an urgent de-escalation plan for Northern Kosovo

Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, emphasized this evening—following the tripartite meeting within the dialogue—that the formation of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities (CSM) must happen urgently, and the first step in that direction must be the resumption of talks on its statute.

“In any case, we insist on the CSM, on de-escalation, and on an end to the persecution of the Serbian people,” Petkovic told the media.

He said that discussions took place nearly the entire day at the European External Action Service headquarters in various formats.

According to him, the dialogue began with tripartite direct talks, followed by bilateral meetings with EU envoy Peter Sørensen.

“I primarily insisted on the issue of normalization of relations, which must begin with de-escalation and the urgent formation of the CSM. When we speak of de-escalation, I once again clearly and explicitly spoke about Albin Kurti’s terror against the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, particularly in the north. About all the daily incidents. We submitted a list of the latest escalatory moves. I spoke about arbitrary arrests and the persecution of political representatives of the Serbian people, especially those from the Serb List,” Petkovic explained.

He stressed that the persecution of Serb List representatives must stop.

He also noted that other issues, such as missing persons, were discussed.

“We confirmed our participation in the Working Group meeting in Geneva on June 26, showing our full commitment to resolving this humanitarian issue, which is crucial for the families of the missing,” Petkovic added.

He said the talks also covered MTS (Telekom Serbia) and energy, since, as he pointed out, there are problems in those areas that need resolution.

“We requested that our liaison officer be granted the right to visit political prisoners in the detention facilities in Pristina. We insisted on numerous other issues related to normalization, but clearly emphasized that the urgent formation of the CSM must take place. The first step in that direction must be resuming discussions on the statute—picking up where we left off a year and a half ago, before negotiations came to a standstill due to Pristina’s refusal to continue. This was also when the outrageous, unlawful decision was made to ban the use of the dinar and shut down Serbia’s financial operations in Kosovo and Metohija. We must talk about the statute and take concrete steps toward the formation of the CSM,” Petkovic emphasized.

He stated that as long as he is present in Brussels, he will continue to insist on this issue, as it is key to the survival of the Serbian people in Kosovo.

“It is never easy to negotiate in Brussels. But it is our duty to fight for our people, and we will continue to do so. We are always ready, with our experts, to engage in open discussions and present proposals. We prepared a clear de-escalation plan, which I presented at the tripartite meeting. This is what is necessary, what requires everyone’s attention, because human rights must be the dominant issue—especially given the daily violations of the rights of the Serbian people. That must be the top priority,” he underlined.

Petkovic said it was agreed that talks at the chief negotiators’ level, on a technical level, would resume in early July.

“Until then, members of Sørensen’s team will visit both Belgrade and Pristina. We’ll see how things develop. In any case, we insist on the CSM, on de-escalation, and an end to the persecution of the Serbian people. I spoke about the closure of Serbian institutions, which has deprived the Serbian community of numerous essential services. We will continue these discussions moving forward. We are committed to dialogue and peace—by 'we' I mean Belgrade. That’s why we are here—to engage in talks and offer solutions that serve the interests of the Serbian people,” he added.

He recalled that the Management Team’s statute exists, along with a draft prepared by the EU, and that these matters must be addressed.

“All of this must be discussed. The final statute, which should be adopted, must be based on the 2013 and 2015 agreements—on what was agreed and what the CSM is supposed to look like,” the Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija stated clearly.

He also reiterated why the draft statute prepared by the Management Team—completed and sent to the EU back in 2018—was not presented until 2023. He said the reason was that the EU failed to respond to the Management Team’s email and request for five years.

“I presented concrete evidence—emails sent at the time and repeated later, urging action on this topic… For us, this is the top issue, along with de-escalation,” Petkovic said.

He added that Sørensen had also requested discussions on IBM (Integrated Border Management), as well as other matters such as official visits, but that priorities must be clear.

“I said I’m always ready to discuss everything, but priorities must be clear. We can talk about things that can and must be implemented within a set timeframe, but when the Serbian people are suffering and their rights are under threat, there’s no time to wait—there must be an immediate response,” Petkovic underlined.

When asked about the difference between the new mediator and his predecessor Miroslav Lajčák, Petkovic said he could not yet judge Peter Sørensen based on the first tripartite meeting, emphasizing that it is ultimately up to the parties in the dialogue to push for progress—something Belgrade, he said, is ready for.

“Sørensen is trying to help—that is his role in the negotiations. The process is ours, and we must fight for progress in the dialogue. We on our side have a clear political will, but we’ve been waiting for that same will from Pristina for a long time. We’ll see—I don’t want to judge Sørensen based on this first meeting. Let’s give him a chance to prove himself and see what kind of results his mediation will bring,” Petkovic concluded.