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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Serbia remains reliable partner in realising UN common goals

Belgrade/New York, 22 September 2022

President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic stated at the 77th session of the UN General Assembly in New York that the current global problems are a warning that the principle of peaceful resolution of conflicts has no alternative.

Vucic said that the refusal to use force and peaceful resolution of conflicts are pillars on which world stability is based and added that they must be followed by principles of non-selective respect for the Charter of the UN, the application of the binding resolutions of the UN Security Council and the basic principles of the applicable international public law.

He stated that Serbia supports territorial integrity of all UN member states, including the territorial integrity of Ukraine.

The President of Serbia said that many speakers at the session spoke about the aggression and violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine and that many said that this is the first conflict on European soil since World War Two.

Vucic underlined that the real truth is that the first time the territorial integrity of a country in Europe was violated was in case of Serbia, in March 1999, which did not attack any other sovereign state and that this is persistently passed over in silence.

He asked what the difference is between the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia, which was grossly violated, but to which many UN member states give international recognition and legitimacy and added that he has never received a rational answer to that question from anyone.

Serbia did not set foot on other country’s territory, nor did it harm the territorial integrity of any sovereign state so that anyone should lead an intervention or conduct aggression against it the way it was done in 1999, he underlined and added that this did not stop 19 NATO member states to attack Serbia without a decision of the UN Security Council.

The President of Serbia underlined that the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1244, which guarantees the partial sovereignty and full territorial integrity of Serbia did not prevent many states of the West from trampling on the territorial integrity of Serbia and the Charter of the UN by recognizing the unilaterally declared independence of “Kosovo”.

Vucic underlined that Serbia, although it feels the consequences of the gross violation of basic provisions of international public law, will not give up on the fundamental principles of the UN.

He noted that Serbia will continue to advocate the consistent observance of the principle of inviolability of borders, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all UN member states.

The President of Serbia especially thanked the countries that currently constitute the unquestionable majority in the UN General Assembly, which support the territorial integrity of Serbia, especially in the territory of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija.

Vucic pointed out that he is additionally encouraged by the fact that the number of countries supporting Serbia's positions increased between the two sessions of the UN General Assembly and added that this is a trend that must continue.

According to him, Serbia is patiently, with a lot of good will, looking for a compromise regarding Kosovo and Metohija under the auspices of the European Union (EU), within the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.

He pointed out that Serbia does not see an alternative to that process and that he is convinced that a mutually acceptable solution based on compromise will be reached.

Establishing long-term peace is a prerequisite for a prosperous life for Serbs and Albanians, and we have already exhausted all other options, he emphasised.

Vucic said that Serbia does not want to return to the paths of conflict and bloodshed and underlined that the Balkans could not bear another conflict.

The President of Serbia stated that Belgrade is conducting negotiations with Pristina in the very complex circumstances of a hybrid war and a dirty campaign by the international public against Serbia.

He recalled that some world media wrote that Serbia would attack its neighbours and that it represents a threat to regional stability, stressing that this never happened and that these were lies.

Vucic pointed out that the inviolability of borders must apply to everyone equally, with the assessment that Serbia was and will be a factor of stability in the region.

Despite many falsehoods and falsifications, Serbia supports the Dayton Agreement, the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the integrity of Republika Srpska within it, Vucic said.

The President of Serbia said that the initiative "Open Balkans" has a clear idea to open the region for people, goods, services, capital and companies, in order to obtain an area permanently free of tensions and conflicts.

He also added that the "Open Balkans" initiative, in addition to common economic benefits, also has a wider dimension, primarily in bringing people of different cultures together and promoting diversity.

In this way, Serbia contributes to peace, stability and the process of reconciliation in the region, and thereby also contributes to security at the global level, he pointed out.

Vucic concluded that Serbia will continue to be a reliable partner in achieving the common goals of the UN, but that it must not be forgotten that the UN is only as strong as the mutually agreed decisions and documents of that organisation are respected.