Petkovic: Extremely tough year for Kosovo-Metohija Serbs, I expect dialogue in January

BELGRADE - The head of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic said on Tuesday 2025 had been an extremely difficult year for Serbs in the Autonomous Province of Kosovo-Metohija, and noted that Belgrade would never give up on its people and that it would be fighting everywhere, at every step, financially, politically, in dialogue and in discussions with everyone, and pointing to problems faced by Kosovo-Metohija Serbs.

In an interview to Tanjug, Petkovic said he expected a new round of the Brussels dialogue in January, and noted that Belgrade had been prepared for it as early as in December, while Pristina and its chief negotiator Besnik Bislimi had refused to participate with the excuse of electoral campaigning.

"They are campaigning all the time... ...they are not interested in dialogue. We honour every invitation, dialogue is important to us and we believe that we can find a political solution for the Kosovo-Metohija crisis exclusively at the negotiating table because if we do not have dialogue and discussions, then we have a crisis on the ground, which only makes the Serbs suffer," Petkovic said.

"Dialogue is where we need to be solving issues to normalise relations. The status issue is not an issue that is an integral part of the dialogue, it is defined by (UNSC) Resolution 1244, and it is our duty to defend the sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country," Petkovic said.

Since his rise to power four years ago, Albin Kurti has been terrorising the Serbs on a daily basis and the Pristina regime has been making unilateral, escalatory moves and using all available means to expel the Serbs and Serbia from the territory of Kosovo-Metohija, he said.

"He (Kurti) has closed Serbian institutions, abolished Serbian payment operations and salaries from the Republic of Serbia, and he has been getting Serbs arrested. We have more than 60 political prisoners in Pristina's dungeons. He has been doing absolutely everything to militarise the territory of the north of Kosovo-Metohija. At every step, the 'Kosovo Police' has been harassing the Serbs," Petkovic said.

There is also institutional violence that is taking place almost on a daily basis, as well as discrimination and the most open misuse of the Pristina judiciary, which is in Kurti's service, Petkovic said.

Asked about Pristina's arms acquisitions, which are contrary to UNSCR 1244, Petkovic said the reaction of the international community was the main issue.

"I will remind you that, two years ago, the EU issued a clear statement and a demand that Pristina deescalate the situation in the north of Kosovo-Metohija. That has not happened, but we had new escalatory moves. In total, more than 710 attacks, incidents, ethnically motivated attacks on Serbs, the Serbian Orthodox Church, our cemeteries, and so on," he said.