Experts Dispute Petković’s Claims: Belgrade Seeks to Portray Kosovo as a Hotbed of Instability

Petar Petković, director of the Office for Kosovo in the Serbian Government, has accused the Kosovo Police, which he called “Kurti’s Police,” of imposing “unnecessary” measures on the Serbian community during celebrations of the feast day of the Monastery of the Holy Archangels in Prizren. He described these actions as “repression.”

Claiming that “the aim was to create a new Gazimestan,” Petković used a recurring political narrative from Belgrade that portrays Kosovo’s institutions as a threat to Serbs.

Similar Serbian narratives against Kosovo have intensified recently. Several weeks ago, Serbian Minister Snezhana Paunović spoke of ethnic cleansing in Kosovo, while Igor Simić repeatedly spread disinformation about our country. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić recently joined this campaign, threatening Kosovo through a Greater Serbian narrative.

University professor Dorajet Imeri said Serbia’s objective behind this campaign is to portray Kosovo as a permanent source of instability.

According to Imeri, Belgrade is also trying to divert attention from its responsibilities in the negotiation process with Kosovo, from its concealment of and refusal to hand over Radoičić and his criminal group, as well as from its close and strategic cooperation with Russia and China.

He said Serbia exploits every institutional action undertaken by Kosovo, particularly in the north, to create the impression that the Serbian community is in danger.

Imeri stressed that Belgrade has recently begun using religious institutions and the Serbian Orthodox clergy in particular as key propaganda mechanisms.

According to the university professor, domestically, this approach helps Serbia mobilize public opinion. Before the international community, meanwhile, Belgrade seeks to portray Kosovo as an obstacle to stability and as perpetrating violence against minorities, with the aim of forcing it to make political concessions during the negotiation process.

Imeri also said Petković’s statements are intended to create the perception that every action by the Kosovo Police is driven by ethnic motives and directed against the Serbian minority.

He emphasized that this strategy aims to undermine trust in Kosovo’s institutions and keep the Serbian community permanently unintegrated into social and political life in Kosovo.

Speaking about how Kosovo should act, Imeri called for a swift and precise response in every situation. According to him, this should be done not only because of Belgrade’s reactions and staged incidents, but also because Kosovo has developed sufficient and professional institutional capacities that are ready to respond to any circumstances that may arise.

In conclusion, university professor Dorajet Imeri underlined that interinstitutional cooperation, increased political vigilance and the strengthening of the country’s political order are fundamental prerequisites for expressing these positions.

In response to Serbian disinformation, security experts in Kosovo have repeatedly stressed that Belgrade’s propaganda statements contain no truth whatsoever.

Security affairs expert Avni Islami also responded today to Petar Petković’s claims.

Islami said such statements demonstrate Belgrade’s attempt to reinforce the false message that the freedoms of Serbs in Kosovo are being restricted. At the same time, according to him, Serbia portrays the peaceful conduct of religious ceremonies as evidence of the “unity and resilience” of Serbs.

In a Facebook post, Islami described this as Serbia’s hybrid warfare aimed at gaining ground, conducting propaganda before the international community and assuming the role of victim. He added that Kosovo’s strength and stability in terms of security remain unshaken.