A meeting of the Belgrade and Pristina Joint Commission on Missing Persons scheduled for Wednesday in Brussels was not held due to recent actions by Pristina and the closure of Serbian institutions in northern Kosovo, said Petar Petkovic, head of the Serbian Government's Office for Kosovo and Metohija. (Kosovo and Metohija is the official name used by Serbian authorities for what they consider to be the country’s southern province.)
He explained that he could not participate in the meeting “at a time when (Kosovo Prime Minister) Albin Kurti is shutting down institutions and putting the survival of Serbs in Kosovo at risk.”
“If the meeting had taken place, it would have meant that nothing is happening on the ground. We cannot pretend, and the EU cannot close its eyes and pretend that nothing is happening and that everything is fine while Kurti changes the reality daily to expel the Serbs,” said Petkovic.
The head of the Belgrade delegation in negotiations with Pristina accused Kosovo’s Prime Minister of timing the closure of institutions to coincide with the Brussels meeting. According to Petkovic, this shows that Kurti is “not interested in the Community of Serb Municipalities or the rights of Serbs in Kosovo.”
Petkovic criticized the European Union for its lack of an adequate response and announced additional talks with EU officials regarding the recent actions of the Pristina government.
“I expect a response from the EU, but not just another press release that supports Kurti and pretends they didn’t know about the institution closures. They knew about it since last week,” Petkovic said.
He also accused EU officials of failing to adequately respond to previous similar actions by Pristina, such as the closure of Serbian Post Office branches and Tax Administration offices.
“It is clear that they are giving Kurti a green light to act as he does,” Petkovic said, directing his criticism at Brussels.
When asked about the reaction of Miroslav Lajcak, the EU mediator at the meeting, Petkovic said that Lajcak would “soon be leaving his position.”
“I believe he did everything he could, but it could have been more – more tact, more understanding of our side, and above all, more understanding for the Serb people in Kosovo and Metohija,” Petkovic added.
Outgoing EU Special Representative for the Belgrade–Pristina Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak said Wednesday in Brussels that me met separately with the Serbian and the Kosovo parties.
“Today, we intended to hold the first meeting of the Joint Commission on Missing Persons on the level of deputies. I met separately with both Parties. Kosovo presented its priorities. Serbia informed about not participating in a joint meeting due to the developments in Kosovo,” Lajcak wrote in a post on the X social media platform.