Petkovic: Self-declared Kosovo a provisorium despite celebrations

BELGRADE - Despite the announced celebrations in Pristina, it is undeniable that the self-declared Kosovo remains a provisorium in terms of international law, the head of the Serbian government Office for Kosovo-Metohija Petar Petkovic said on Friday.

In a statement on the 15th anniversary of Pristina's unilateral declaration of independence, Petkovic said the so-called Kosovo was destined to an existence within a space between desires and reality and that it was not a state and could not become one.

"Today, ethnic Albanian residents of Kosovo-Metohija are pompously celebrating 15 years since the unilateral declaration of independence, made contrarily to international law and the principles of the inviolability of the borders of sovereign states, which the stability of the modern world rests upon," Petkovic said.

The fact that, despite support from a significant number of powerful and influential countries, self-declared Kosovo is not a state and cannot become one is the reality because a significantly larger part of the international community is aware that letting such a precedent take place would have disastrous consequences for global stability, Petkovic said.

"As opposed to 84 states that recognise the unilaterally declared independence, 106 countries today are firmly on the side of Serbia and international law. The derecognitions by 27 states are the tally of the work by Belgrade and President Aleksandar Vucic, who, with a resolute and wise policy, represents a firm barrier to legalisation of the so-called Kosovo independence," Petkovic said.

Meanwhile, the self-declared Kosovo - dubbed "Europe's youngest democracy" by those who believe in their own lies - has been abandoned by tens of thousands of people, young people are left without any prospects whatsoever or a chance to get jobs, the legal and the social system is in a chaotic state, and that is why today's commemorations are a celebration of a failure, rather than success, Petkovic noted.

Besides ethnic Albanians - who themselves do not believe the self-declared Kosovo is a state but hope it is just a phase in the process of creating a "Greater Albania" - it is also home to Serbs and other non-Albanians for whom Kosovo-Metohija has been and is an unalienable part of Serbia and for whom Belgrade will fight firmly and always stand with them, as it has in the past, Petkovic said.