Belgrade Official: Talks on Association of Serb-Majority Municipalities Statute To Resume on Nov. 16

Petar Petkovic/BETAPHOTO/MILAN OBRADOVIC/

The head of the Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, on Nov. 14 said that Belgrade had accepted an invitation of the EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak for the talks on the text of the statute of the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities within the Dialogue, in Brussels on Nov. 16.

After his meeting with Lajcak in Belgrade, Petkovic told reporters that the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities represented a mechanism for preserving collective and individual rights of the Serbs in Kosovo.

“De-escalation is necessary, we need to see a normal life in North Kosovo which has been jeopardized on a daily basis. But, it is also important that we are finally starting talks on the statute of the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities and also its executive powers which it has in accordance with agreements from 2013 and 2015. Belgrade has full right to finance those institutions,” Petkovic stressed.

Petkovic said that the meeting had also discussed other topics within the agreements which had been signed or reached within the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue.

“Belgrade has never avoided talks or dialogue and we have always insisted on dialogue and normalization of relations. We have accepted Lajcak’s invitation for a meeting in two days in Brussels, where the talks will resume. You know very well that Belgrade advocates peace and we need talks,” Petkovic said.