BELGRADE, August 1. /TASS/. The goal of authorities of unrecognized Kosovo is to drive the Serbian population from Kosovo and Metohija, said Petar Petkovic, the Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija under the Serbian Government.

"Actions [of Prime Minister of unrecognized Kosovo] Albin Kurti are aimed directly against Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija and their objective is to drive Serbian people and Serbian institutions from Kosovo and Metohija," Petkovic said. Belgrade will continue issuing documents of the Republic of Serbia to all citizens from Kosovo and Metohija, he added.

The situation in Kosovo and Metohija deteriorated dramatically on Sunday evening after Kosovo’s police had closed the checkpoint at the border with Serbia. In response, Serbs in the north of Kosovo took to the streets and blocked key highways. Police and the Kosovo Force (KFOR), a NATO-led international peacekeeping force in Kosovo, were pulled to the bridge across the Ibar River, which links Kosovska Mitrovica’s northern and southern parts.

In his address to the nation, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said earlier that the situation for ethnic Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija has aggravated after Pristina had decided to ban Serbian documents starting from midnight from Sunday to Monday. The Cabinet of Kosovo postponed the decision later for one month until September 1, 2022.