Petković: Serbs will survive in Kosovo, no matter what

"It is up to us to keep the peace, that is my message on Vidovdan, to refrain from all possible reactions, because (Prime Minister of Pristina's temporary institutions Albin) Kurti only wants a provocation", director of the Office of the Government of Serbia for Kosovo and Metohija told RTS, assessing that Kurti is sending a message that he is interested only the policy of expelling the Serbian people.

Congratulating the Vidovdan holiday, Petković repeated the message of Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić that Serbia will always be with its people in Kosovo and Metohija and that it will fight for them with all diplomatic means.

"Perhaps in moments of foreign terror against our people, it sounds very mild when we tell people to be patient, but we know very well what we are talking about. The time will come when this tyranny in Kosovo and Metohija will end and we will be able to have real negotiations with Pristina,' said Petković.

Addressing the ban on entry to Kosovo and Metohija, Petković said that Prishtina violates all agreements and that with such actions "it wants to expel the state of Serbia".

"There is no justification, as before, this is the fifteenth time that I have been denied entry, although, as always, we sent the notice of the visit on time. Kurti doesn't care about anything. When you deny entry to the main negotiator, and I am the one most directly in charge of the dialogue and the normalization process, it is clear to me that Prishtina wants to expel the state of Serbia with these actions,'' said Petković.

He reminded that the patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Porfirije, was forbidden to visit the Patriarchate of Peć.

"It's like someone forbidding the Pope to go to the Vatican," Petkovic said.

When it comes to the arrest of Srđan Lalović, a Serb from Leposavic, Petković repeated that he is sending the message to Kurta that "he is only interested in the policy of expelling the Serbian people".

"Everyone praises Srđan Lalović in Leposavic. He is being accused of some alleged war crime in Gjakova, and he was a young man at the time of the war and had never been to Gjakova. His wife's statements about this match the information we have. The photo published by the Albanian media is not authentic. But what does Kurti care about any Serb, everyone is arrested in turn, and that's the worst thing,'' said Petković, adding that the arrests occur even though Serbia has guarantees from the EU and the US that all participants in the protests and barricades on Kosovo will not be arrested.

He announced that next week in Brussels, the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina will continue at the technical level, at the level of the main negotiators in Brussels, and that, as he says, he does not expect anything from that meeting.

"We especially insist on the establishment of the Association of Serbian Municipalities, this is crucially important for the survival of the Serbs." We will protect the Serbian people in Kosovo,'' said Petković.

He pointed out that the international community "sees everything" and that despite this "it is clear to everyone" that the most powerful in the West created so-called independent Kosovo and that now they must "rock their naughty child".

"They say Kurti is disobedient, but they look through his fingers." I hope not for much longer, because I expect the constructive approach of President Aleksandar Vučić to be recognized,'' said Petković. When asked about the relationship with the EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, Josep Borell, and the EU's special envoy for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Petković pointed out that the two are correct.

"I have nothing in particular to blame Borell and Lajcak because a lot depends on the most powerful in the EU, who also have a different approach. Everything that happens on the field is not only Kurti's decision, but also someone who supports him, but we must do everything in our power,' said Petković.

He stated that the meetings of Vučić with Lajcak and Borella, and those with the EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi and the President of the European Council Charles Michel in Brussels two days ago were "excellent".

"They were more than fair. It is also clear to them that Serbia has fulfilled all its obligations and that we favor normalization, but Kurti refused to talk. And the European Union clearly said for the first time that Kurti was guilty, because he refused to talk, even though he was sitting in the next room. We will see if he was afraid of talking to Vučić or not. For the first time, the European Union did not put the famous phrase that both sides are responsible in the statement, but said that Pristina is to blame,'' said the president of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija.

Petković congratulated the Vidovdan holiday, stating that the Serbian people "have always celebrated Vidovdan at their hearths".

"With this holiday and the Kosovo vow, the Serbian people measure the past and build the future. The Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija are where they have always been, on the hearths, next to their church and monasteries, and the state of Serbia,'' said Petković.