Petkovic, Powell discuss situation in Kosovo-Metohija, Belgrade-Pristina dialogue

BELGRADE - The head of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic met with the UK government's national security adviser Jonathan Powell in Belgrade on Friday to inform him of the political and security situation in Kosovo-Metohija and progress of the Brussels dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.

Petkovic noted that Belgrade was committed to normalisation of relations through the dialogue with Pristina, as also demonstrated through its active engagement in implementation of a declaration on missing persons, the Office said in a statement.

He said Pristina was destroying all possibilities of an agreement and had been refusing, for a full 12 years, to establish a Community of Serb Municipalities even though it had committed to that in its own assembly.

Petkovic noted that, almost on a daily basis, the Albin Kurti regime was making escalatory moves and carrying out arbitrary, politically-motivated arrests of Serbs and provoking crises and tensions to directly create impossible living conditions for the Serbs, change the ethnic composition in Kosovo-Metohija and destabilise the entire Western Balkans through an irresponsible policy.

He added that Belgrade, led by President Aleksandar Vucic, would continue to preserve peace and stability and strive for compromise solutions through dialogue to make life better for people in Kosovo-Metohija.

The meeting was also attended by the UK Ambassador to Belgrade Edward Ferguson.