Criticism from Brussels: "Petkovic should have been allowed to visit, Pristina should reconsider"

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EU spokesman for foreign affairs and security policy Peter Stano called on Pristina to reconsider its decision to ban the visit of the director of Serbian Government's Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, which he said had been announced in accordance with an agreement on official visits.

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"We have taken into account recent developments regarding official visits. We would like to emphasize once again that we expect both parties to fully implement all previous agreements, including the agreement on official visits. According to the agreement, all visits should be conducted in a way that improves the normalization process or contributes to the overall work in the context of the EU-supported dialogue. We expect the parties to respect these guidelines," Stano told Kosovo Online when asked to comment on the ban faced by Petar Petkovic, while Kosovo's Minister of Foreign Affairs Donika Gervala will be allowed to visit Bujanovac and Presevo today.

The EU spokesman stressed that "Director Petkovic's visit to Kosovo was appropriately announced in accordance with the agreement, so it should have been allowed, as is the case with Minister Gervala's visit to southern Serbia."

Stano said that, as EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said last week in the context of the Stabilization and Association Committee, the EU has called on Kosovo to allow official visits that meet the guidelines, including those of Director Petkovic.

"We call on Kosovo to reconsider its decision in that regard," Stano said.

(Telegraf.rs)