The detailed debate on the Office for Kosovo-Metohija Activity Report, presented by the Assistant Director for General Affairs at the Office for Kosovo-Metohija Miljan Radjenovic, mainly focused on the support for better quality of living of the Serbian and non-Albanian population on the autonomous territory. Dusan Kozarev, Deputy Director of the Office for Kosovo-Metohija, said that the five working groups tasked with the issue of return of displaced persons have all yielded differing results.

In addition to the Activity Report, in line with the Committee’s conclusion of 23 April 2015, the Committee decided to establish a Working Group for the collection of facts and evidence for the investigation of crimes committed against Serbs and other national communities in Kosovo-Metohija.

Under item “any other business”, by majority vote, the Committee on Kosovo-Metohija decided to take the following stance:

“The Committee does not accept the statement of Vladimir Kostic, President of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU), about Kosovo-Metohija, because it believes that his airing of a personal view as the leader of this institution of special significance, weakens the position of the Republic of Serbia in the process of normalisation of relations between Belgrade and the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Pristina, discourages the Serbian people from surviving in Kosovo-Metohija and encourages the Albanian side to believe that it is possible that the Republic of Serbia would relinquish its spiritual place of origin and recognise Kosovo-Metohija as a state.”

The Committee appealed to individuals and organisations not to weaken the state unity and capacity of the Republic of Serbia, or the defence of vital, state and national interests in Kosovo-Metohija, by personal statements. The Committee also invited the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU) to speak up and take a stance on its President’s statement.

The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairman Milovan Drecun.