On the occasion of the International Day of Peace, Director of the Serbian Government's Office for Kosovo and Metohija  Marko Đurić said on Monday that peace and stability must be the priority interests of all citizens of the southern province of Serbia.

“As citizens of the part of Europe that was often hit by wars, we understand all too well the value of peace, however,  unfortunately there are people in Kosovo and Metohija who wish new instabilities. The reason for that is the fact that in such an atmosphere they prosper most easily in political terms,” Đurić noted, adding that peace must be above everything else and above anyone's selfish political interest.

Instead of militarization, both Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija need jobs and economic progress, he underscored. “Let's teach our children how to learn and build, instead of how to hate and destroy.  The destiny of tens of thousands of people going across Europe while running away from the devastated countries should remind us once again that it is better even to negotiate 1,000 days than to wage war for a single day,” said Đurić.