Petar Petković, the Director of the so-called Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia, issued a strong warning on Thursday, claiming that Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, intends to shut down Serbian schools in Kosovo. Petković declared that such an action would mark the end of dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.
In an interview with Radio Television of Serbia (RTS), Petković stated that Kosovo Police detained the principal of a primary school in Gojbulë, Vushtrri, on Wednesday night, calling it an attempt to intimidate the Serbian community.
“Aside from mistreating an innocent person, his supposed crime is simply being the principal of a Serbian primary school. This is all aimed at intimidating Serbs, and it appears that Kurti has started closing Serbian schools in Kosovo. If this continues, dialogue is over. Schools, along with healthcare, churches, and the state of Serbia, are fundamental pillars of the Serbian community’s survival in Kosovo,” said Petković.
He also noted that he has informed Miroslav Lajčák, the EU Special Envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue, and other member states about the incident. Petković criticized international actors for condemning Pristina’s “unilateral actions” but failing to implement concrete measures.
