In a high-level gathering convened today in Brussels, Petar Petković, the Director of the Office for Kosovo and Belgrade’s chief negotiator in the EU-led dialogue with Pristina, delivered a comprehensive address to ambassadors, representatives from EU member states, and officials from the European Commission and the European External Action Service. The central focus of this crucial meeting was to provide a thorough update on the prevailing political and security landscape in Kosovo, with a particular emphasis on the ongoing dialogue and the recent tragic events that unfolded in Banjska.
Over the course of the two-and-a-half-hour session, Petar Petković underscored that Serbia bears no responsibility for, nor is it involved in any way with, the recent tragic occurrences in Banjska.
Petar Petković, the Director of the Office for Kosovo and Belgrade’s chief negotiator in the EU-led dialogue with Pristina. [Photo: Office for Kosovo]
According to the Office for Kosovo “Belgrade has rebuffed Pristina’s baseless claims with an array of documents, photographs, and video recordings, presenting compelling evidence that unambiguously implicates Pristina as the source of all the problems.”
Petković also emphasized the imperative of conducting a fair and impartial investigation into the events in Banjska, shining a spotlight on Pristina’s efforts to cast Serbia as the instigator through the dissemination of disinformation and falsehoods.
During the proceedings, the Serbian delegation seized the opportunity to remind their international counterparts of numerous incidents and attacks carried out by Pristina, all of which were aimed at the Serbs residing in northern Kosovo.
Petković stressed that Belgrade had been sounding the alarm within the international community for an entire year, warning that the situation would inevitably deteriorate unless substantial pressure was exerted on Prime Minister Albin Kurti. He reiterated the demand for KFOR to assume full responsibility for safeguarding the Serb population in northern Kosovo and to replace the Kosovo Police, which was perceived by the Serbs as an occupying force.
Petar Petković, the Director of the Office for Kosovo and Belgrade’s chief negotiator in the EU-led dialogue with Pristina. [Photo: Office for Kosovo]
Petković firmly stated, “The only viable path forward is an immediate de-escalation and the withdrawal of the Kosovo Police from the north, coupled with the continuation of the dialogue and concrete steps towards the establishment of the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities.” He reminded everyone present that Pristina had obstinately refused to establish the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities for an entire decade, in flagrant violation of the rights guaranteed to them by the First Brussels Agreement.
This critical working session was hosted at the Mission of the Republic of Serbia to the European Union and featured the participation of Milan Ravić, Director of the Office for Coordination of Negotiating Process with the Temporary Institutions in Pristina, and Daniel Apostolovic, Chargé d’affaires of the Mission of the Republic of Serbia to the EU.
