Petkovic to Dutch Envoy: Pristina Dodges ZSO for 13 Years
Petar Petkovic, head of Serbia's Office for Kosovo and Metohija, told Dutch ambassador Martijn Elhersma that Pristina has avoided forming the Community of Serb Municipalities for over 13 years while dismantling the gains of dialogue that the EU guarantees.
- Petkovic told the Dutch ambassador that Pristina has avoided forming the Community of Serb Municipalities for more than 13 years.
- The ZSO is, he said, the most important foundation for protecting the collective and individual rights of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija.
- Belgrade is, according to Petkovic, a credible partner that honors all signed Brussels agreements, while Pristina erodes the gains of dialogue on the ground.
- The formation of the ZSO is guaranteed by the European Union.
Petar Petkovic, head of Serbia’s Office for Kosovo and Metohija, met Dutch ambassador Martijn Elhersma in Belgrade on July 9, 2026, and pointed to what he called the unilateral and anti-Serb moves of the authorities in Pristina. The message came at a time when the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue has long been stalled, and the Community of Serb Municipalities, promised more than a decade ago, has still not even begun to take shape. In his conversation with the Dutch diplomat, Petkovic repeated that responsibility for the deadlock lies with the Pristina side.
Petkovic conveyed that Belgrade is a credible partner in the dialogue and honors every agreement signed so far in Brussels. Pristina, he specified, has for more than 13 years avoided its obligation to form the Community of Serb Municipalities, which he described as the most important foundation for protecting the collective and individual rights of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. The obligation stems from the 2013 Brussels Agreement, later reinforced by a further accord on its basic principles, yet it remains unimplemented to this day.
Why Does Pristina Keep Avoiding Its Brussels Obligation?
The answer Belgrade offers is that Pristina not only fails to honor the agreements but, on the ground, dismantles all the gains of dialogue through unilateral and unlawful moves. Petkovic delivered precisely that assessment to ambassador Elhersma, arguing that each such move pushes further away the prospect that Serbs in the north and in the enclaves might gain an institution that would guarantee their self-government in areas such as education, healthcare, spatial planning and local development. For the Serbian side, the ZSO is not a concession but the fulfillment of an obligation already undertaken.
Petkovic stressed that forming the Community of Serb Municipalities is not merely a bilateral matter between Belgrade and Pristina, but an obligation guaranteed by the European Union. That gave his conversation with the representative of an EU member state added weight. The message to the Dutch ambassador was that responsibility for implementing what Brussels once guaranteed cannot be shifted onto Belgrade alone, while the other side refuses for years to fulfill its part.
What Is Actually Being Asked of the Netherlands?
Belgrade expects its Western partners, the Netherlands included, to apply clearer pressure on Pristina to deliver on its commitments. The meeting with Elhersma is part of a broader diplomatic effort by the Office for Kosovo and Metohija to push the issue of the Community of Serb Municipalities back to the forefront among EU member states, rather than leaving it frozen on the margins of the negotiating process. The Serbian side is counting on a coordinated voice from European capitals to move the matter off the dead center where it has stood for years.
It remains an open question whether talks like this one will produce a concrete result or whether the ZSO will continue to be a promise without a deadline. For Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, it concerns an institution that has been guaranteed to them but that they have never received. Do you believe pressure from European partners will this time be enough for the Brussels commitments to finally be carried out?
