Petkovic: The more talk about Kosovo and Metohija in the context of war in Ukraine, the worse for us

Photo: Tanjug/Milos Milivojevic

The diplomatic struggle on the route between Belgrade, Pristina and Brussels is not abating. After the visit of EU special envoy Miroslav Lajcak and the new envoys from Berlin and Paris, President Aleksandar Vucic said that Serbia has become collateral damage of major conflicts and that he received a proposal for a new framework for talks in Brussels.

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At the same time, the situation in the Western Balkans is being discussed today during the Brdo Brijuni meeting, and a special session of the Serbian Assembly will be held tomorrow to discuss Kosovo and Metohija. Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, stresses that the West wants a solution to the Kosovo issue as quickly as possible, especially since the issue is viewed in the context of the war in Ukraine.

Petkovic spoke for RTS about the proposal for a new framework for talks in Brussels and said that the international community wants a solution to the issue of Kosovo and Metohija as soon as possible, in order to see the reality from their point of view, and everything, he stressed, is additionally burdened by the war in Ukraine.

"They cannot allow any new conflicts and disturbances in Europe. President Vucic has repeatedly warned and has said that, they want to refute the arguments used by President Vladimir Putin when he talks about the Kosovo precedent, about the recognition (of Kosovo) by Western countries, in order to justify his actions in Ukraine. That is why President Vucic says that Serbia is collateral damage of the conflict between the big and powerful. The more said about Kosovo in the context of the war in Ukraine, the worse it is for us," said Petkovic.

He said that the meeting between Vucic and the envoys of Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz was difficult, and that Serbia is fighting to preserve peace and stability. Serbia, he added, will never recognize Kosovo and Metohija as independent, but must think of our people who live there.

"This is a clear violation of international law and President Vucic will speak about it at the session of the UN General Assembly... Everyone is now talking about the violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, but that is exactly what happened to Serbia when it comes to Kosovo and Metohija," said Petkovic and added that Serbia is expected to decide which side of the curtain it will be on.

He noted that the situation in Kosovo and Metohija is by no means simple, bearing in mind that October 31, which Albin Kurti set as the deadline for (Serbs) to change their car license plates, is approaching.

"With unilateral moves, he is trying to make life miserable for our people in Kosovo and Metohija, destabilize the situation and put pressure on President Vucic and Belgrade," said Petkovic.

Speaking about the circumstances in which Serbia has the task of, as he said, fighting for peace and stability, Petkovic also stressed that by building illegal bases in the north of Kosovo, Kurti wants to start the occupation of that part of Kosovo and Metohija.

By building the bases, he added, the Brussels Agreement and all other agreements are being violated, including the military-technical one signed with KFOR, according to which special Kosovo units can enter the North only with the prior consent of the commander of KFOR and the four mayors in the North.

The director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija said that the international community has been clearly warned about this.

Petkovic also positively assessed Serbia's participation in the Brdo Brijuni Summit, where the situation in the Western Balkans will be discussed, and he also stressed that it is good that the first session of the new parliament will discuss Kosovo and Metohija.

This should be discussed in the Assembly, said Petkovic and added that tomorrow Vucic will present a report on the negotiation process with Pristina for the period from June 15, 2021 until September 1, 2022 and answer all questions from deputies.

Speaking about the proposal of the opposition coalition "Ujedinjeni" to form a commission to determine a platform for the negotiation process, Petkovic said that the issue of Kosovo and Metohija is one of the most important national issues that requires responsible behavior, while the opposition, according to him, is being irresponsible in this matter.

(Telegraf.rs)