Minister Selakovic informed Amb. Davenport on the position of the Serb population in Kosovo

(Kosovo Online, RTV)

Serbian Foreign Affairs Minister, Nikola Selakovic met today the new Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Michael Davenport.

Selakovic congratulated Davenport on the election and expressed the expectation that the practice of good and open communication will continue, as well as regular meetings in Belgrade, reported portal Kosovo Online, quoting the press statement.

Selakovic emphasized that Serbia supports the work of the Mission acting in accordance with the mandate based on UN Security Council Resolution 1244. He underlined that it is crucial for Serbia that the OSCE maintains a comprehensive status-neutral approach to Kosovo and that this applies not only to the work of field missions, but also to the modalities of organizing OSCE meetings and visits by OSCE officials to Pristina.

When it comes to the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, the Minister emphasized Belgrade's commitment to dialogue and the search for a compromise solution, at the same time pointing out "that Belgrade has fulfilled its obligations from the Brussels Agreement, but on the other hand even eight years since the agreed, the Community of Serbian Municipalities have not been created".

Selakovic said that it was necessary for Pristina to start implementing all agreements and that periods of political instability in Pristina should not be used as an excuse for their continuous refusal to implement the agreements reached. He emphasized that Serbia is ready to continue the dialogue and talks on numerous issues, such as internally displaced persons, missing persons, property and the status of cultural heritage.

As a very important aspect of the Mission's work, Selakovic mentioned the activities so far in the field of protection of community rights in Kosovo and the conduct of elections in the north of Kosovo. Discussing the work of the Mission, the Minister pointed out that the Human Rights and Communities Program is of special importance for Serbia, bearing in mind that it monitors respect for human rights, community rights and democratic standards, with special attention paid to the rights of non-Albanian communities, displaced persons, returnees, as well as other vulnerable groups.

Minister Selakovic pointed out that Kosovo, with only 1.9 percent of returnees, is a post-conflict area with the lowest rate of return in the world. He also pointed out that there are about 42,000 long-term court disputes in Kosovo over the usurped private property of Serbs.

Selakovic also informed his interlocutor about the condition and position of the Serb population in Kosovo and the frequent attacks on Serbs, their property, as well as on churches and monasteries.

The head of Serbian diplomacy said that it was extremely important to shed light on the fate of 17 missing and killed journalists in Kosovo, pointing out that it was a devastating fact that none of these cases were under investigation in Kosovo, nor were any perpetrators punished, the statement reads, quoted Kosovo Online.