Đurić confers with Quint and EU Ambassadors – Serbia expects the release of Igor Popović

23. Jul 2025.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, Marko Đurić, and the Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petković, held a meeting today in Belgrade with the ambassadors of Quint countries (United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Italy) as well as the Head of the EU Mission, to discuss the situation in the southern Serbian province following the arrest of Igor Popović, Assistant Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija.

It was emphasized that the arrest of Popović represents a continuation of the political persecution of Serbs. This time, a member of the Serbian Government’s negotiation team has been detained – an act Belgrade finds completely unacceptable. Minister Đurić recalled that the arrest took place during commemorations honoring Serbian and Roma victims in Orahovac and Staro Gracko.

By arresting Serbs and Serbian officials, along with other illegitimate actions, the authorities in Priština are attempting to impose their own version of “truth” and reinterpret historical events on their terms, rather than reflecting the factual record, Minister Đurić noted, reiterating Serbia’s expectation that Igor Popović be released without delay.

The meeting with Minister Đurić was attended by the ambassadors of Italy and the United Kingdom, as well as the chargés d’affaires of the embassies of the United States, France, Germany, and the EU Mission.