YouSaid · the spoken record

Serreqi

THE RECORD WRITES THIS SPEAKER AS SERREQI

lines on the record: 82
first: 1993-09-24
most recent: 1995-09-24
sittings or episodes: 3
sources: un-general-debate

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“We believe that the Member States, by giving Albania the first chance to sit in the Security Council, will offer encouragement and support to the good will of the small States for active participation in multilateral cooperation in the service of international peace and security, and will show that it will not take long for our fruitful discussions on the reform of the Security Council to be implemented. I would like to assure you that the election of Albania to the Security Council will be a contribution to peace and security in the troubled region of the Balkans as well. In conclusion, I would like to express Albania’s support for the United Nations, its desire to strengthen the Organization and its role in safeguarding international peace and promoting and supporting democracy, development and well-being.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“However, it should be said that their improvement is dependent on the renunciation of violence against and suppression of the 25 Albanians in Kosova. Though Italy is across the sea, my country has considered, and considers, Italy a neighbouring country of great importance for bilateral relations and for the developments in the Balkans and the Mediterranean. Our relations with this country are built on an ancient tradition and are characterized by very positive developments in all fields. Albania attaches great importance to the work with a view to the reform of the Security Council. Albania is the only country from the Eastern European Group, except the newly created countries in the region, that has never served in the Security Council in its course of 40 years’ membership in the Organization.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“Albania maintains good relations with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and supports the full integration of this Republic into international institutions. However, we encourage it to take concrete steps to improve the situation of the Albanians there and to ensure full respect for their human and national rights, including the right to education in their mother tongue. This is all the more so because of our conviction that equality between citizens of any nationality leads to the integration of that country and that integration is to the benefit of all the citizens of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and of stability in the region. Albania does not hold a prejudiced view in its relations with Serbia and Montenegro, either.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“We have always emphasized that the Greek minority in Albania constitutes a bridge of friendship and we are glad that this is not our view alone. There is no political reason whatsoever that could hinder this since the realization of rights stems from our political will and from the very essence of Albanian society. As to the right of education in one’s mother tongue, in addition to the measures already taken by the Government to apply international standards and fulfil its international commitments, such as the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action, the national legislation on education, in particular the law on private schools — which entered into force a few months ago — has resolved this question.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“I am glad to declare that bilateral relations with Greece have improved following a period of tension last year. Dialogue and good will, which Albania has always favoured, have prevailed, and today the two countries are taking concrete steps in the direction of extending, deepening and speeding up cooperation in fields of mutual benefit. It is worth mentioning here that we are glad to see that the international community, in general, recognize the great improvement in the rights of the Greek minority in Albania in the last three years. The Albanian Government has consistently demonstrated its willingness to ensure full respect for human rights and fundamental freedom for all the citizens, including members of the Greek minority, and its commitment to do so.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“Furthermore, transition to broad programmes of inter-Balkan and Euro-Balkan cooperation is also an absolute requirement for development and for full integration of the Balkans into developed and civilized Europe. In the coming December, Albania will celebrate the fortieth anniversary of its membership in the United Nations. Over all these years the Republic of Albania has demonstrated its commitment to the purposes and principles of the Charter. While the region is living through a profound and complex crisis, Albania is testifying that it is a factor of peace and stability. It has never provoked conflicts or tensions between States and has repeatedly asserted its firm stand against the forceful alteration of internationally recognized borders. This is demonstrated first in its policy towards its neighbours.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“The application of double standards will undoubtedly generate future conflicts. In order for the Balkans to be an area of peace, stability and prosperity, it is necessary to bring war to an end, to bring the perpetrators of the Bosnian tragedy before the Court and to punish them, to demilitarize over-armed States and areas, to reconstruct what was damaged by war, to settle the Kosova issue and to thaw the already frozen bilateral relations. Internal democratization of all States, the creation of the democratic space where Albanians live in the Balkans, as repeatedly stated by the President of the Republic, Sali Berisha, constitute a most positive response to any international initiative for peace and stability in the Balkans.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“In the meantime, the lifting of sanctions against Serbia and Montenegro should be subject to the strict condition that there should be a complete and lasting solution of the Kosova issue. There is more than one problem to tackle and solve in Kosova; they all need to be addressed properly and not overlooked. When we see today the progress in solving the constitutional status of the entities in Bosnia, which we hope will be just and equitable and will satisfy all parties, we have reason to hope and believe that the international community will proceed in the right direction to solve the question of Kosova as well. The world is right in thinking that, in so doing, we are respecting one of the fundamental principles of the Charter, especially the right of peoples to self-determination.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“The Kosova Albanian leaders have miraculously managed to avoid it so far through their peaceful resistance, but the question immediately arises: How long will they be able to do so? The Republic of Albania holds that the United Nations, the major Powers and NATO should anticipate and take adequate measures in order to prevent a conflict in Kosova: demilitarize its territory; protect human and 24 national rights of Albanians there; put an end to ethnic cleansing and Serb colonization; reopen the institutions of Kosova; create a climate of dialogue between Albanians and Serbs in Kosova, and between Pristina and Belgrade; open and continue dialogue in the presence of a third party. Albania is of the view, and insists, that the Kosova issue be included in the agenda for discussion and solution of the problem of the former Yugoslavia.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“We appeal to the international community and to concerned humanitarian organizations not to be duped by the intentions of Belgrade and not to assist it to settle the Serb refugees in Kosova — an activity that falls short of being a simple humanitarian action. We also call upon the international community not to ignore the extremely important issue of Kosova. The Belgrade authorities have clearly challenged General Assembly resolution 49/204, the resolutions of the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva and the decisions of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe on Kosova. If Serbia is not put under international pressure to refrain from its policy of confrontation in Kosova, it will not be long before another tragedy with unpredictable consequences explodes.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“As if this extremely tense and eruptive situation were not enough, the Belgrade authorities are now sending to Kosova, as colonists, the Serb refugees from Croatia and Bosnia. This grave provocation, under the guise of humanism for Serb refugees, is in reality part of the old plan of the Belgrade authorities to carry out “ethnic cleansing” in Kosova, which is inhabited to the extent of 95 per cent by Albanians, and forcefully change its ethnic-demographic composition. The consequences of what Belgrade is doing to attain the “Greater Serbia” ambition are already common knowledge and have been internationally witnessed in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“The Serbian military and police regime that has been installed in Kosova, with the elimination of the autonomy that this federal unit of the former Federal Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia enjoyed, is continuing widespread terror against the Albanian population. The brutality of the Serbian police is evident every day and in every part of Kosova. The apartheid policy and practices pursued by the Serbs against the Albanians have led to the compulsory exodus of hundreds of thousands of Albanians, mainly youngsters, to different countries of the world. Part of this systematic terror are the endless killings, the ransacking and the plotted political trials against the Albanians of Kosova.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“In the face of this situation, we appreciate the fact that, on the initiative of the United States of America, the international community is reviewing its stand on this conflict, including insistence on thorough implementation of Security Council resolutions adopted pursuant to Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter. These provide for continuation of the sanctions against the Bosnian Serbs and Serbia and Montenegro, as well as the stepping up of diplomatic activity, backed by the use of NATO military intervention when necessary. The Republic of Albania is deeply concerned about the grave situation in Kosova.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“The many resolutions of the United Nations and of the International Conference on the Former Yugoslavia, the activities of the Contact Group, the projects offered and the plans suggested have not yet yielded the desired results. Nevertheless, we think that the United Nations peace force deserves special praise for the humanitarian assistance it has provided to the innocent civilian population. A special tribute should be paid to the soldiers, officers, diplomats and journalists who lost their lives in the line of duty. Following recent developments, it appears that the situation in the crisis areas is more balanced, politically and militarily, and that it offers real possibilities for solution. However, it is still very complex, and there is still the risk of a spill-over of the conflict to other areas — a widely held view.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“Identification of the causes and culprits of the crisis in Bosnia and Herzegovina now makes it easier for the Balkan States and the international community at large to make realistic assessments of the situation in all the territories of the former Yugoslavia and to seek adequate approaches for solution. It is a fact that the international community and its main actors have been present at all stages in dealing with the conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Unfortunately, however, it has to be admitted that, despite the action taken so far, they have not always been consistent. For that reason, efficiency has for a long time left much to be desired.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“To this end, and desirous of demonstrating in a practical way its commitment to peace and security, Albania has set up its first Albanian military unit to participate in the peace-keeping and humanitarian 23 operations of the United Nations and will soon put this at the disposal of the Organization. The tragedy of the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is suffering the consequences of Belgrade’s ambition to create a “Greater Serbia” — inspired by the philosophy of national chauvinism, the policy of “ethnic cleansing” and the forceful changing of borders — lies at the centre of the present-day Balkan crisis, concentrated in the former Yugoslavia.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“Our growing cooperation with the European Union, which we hope will in due course lead to the opening of negotiations on and the conclusion of the Europe agreement, is a process that enjoys the backing of all political parties and all strata of the population. With a view to achieving full integration, we attach special importance to cooperation with the Euro-Atlantic structures, primarily the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Albania is the first country of the region to have formally requested membership of NATO, and it is engaged in active cooperation within the Partnership for Peace. In this spirit of close cooperation, Albania has offered action facilities to NATO, and it will continue to do so in the future, convinced that this will benefit peace and security in the Balkans.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“I wish, on behalf of the Albanian Government, to avail myself of the occasion to express gratitude to the donor countries, the European Member States, the United States and the countries of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, as well as to international agencies such as the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, for the valuable assistance provided to Albania. In its efforts to eliminate the consequences of fatal long isolation, Albania is convincingly engaged in an open policy and has firmly abided by one of the major objectives that the Government set out in its programme — the integration of the country into Europe, which implies the building of a Western-style society, adherence to its institutions and active participation in European life.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“Since March 1992 — the time of the final break with the Communist regime — Albania has made tremendous progress in its democratic processes. The building up and strengthening of political pluralism, the rule of law, respect for human rights in general and for those of minorities in particular, as well as the transition from a centralized to a market economy, constitute the main directions in which Albanian society is moving. The country is sustainably engaged in speedy economic reform supported by a whole new set of laws, and the results of intensive transformation are very tangible. Certainly reform is not painless. In this regard, the Government is paying special and particular attention to improvement of the living conditions of some social groups that are more vulnerable to economic reform.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“It gives me special pleasure to congratulate Mr. Diogo Frietas do Amaral of Portugal on his election as President of the General Assembly at its fiftieth session. I take this opportunity to extend to him my best wishes for success in the deliberations of this important gathering, and I assure him of the full collaboration of the delegation of Albania. I also congratulate Mr. do Amaral’s predecessor, Mr. Amara Essy, on the excellent way he conducted the work of the last session of the General Assembly. To the Secretary-General, Mr. Boutros Boutros-Ghali, I wish to express my highest regard for his unfailing endeavours to provide the Organization with ever more effective leadership. My warmest greetings go to the Republic of Palau, the newest State Member of the United Nations.”
1995-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 50 (1995)
“We hold that in such cases there is no reason for the Security Council to hesitate to take a decision on intervention without the prior consent of the State or Government that is the cause of and is responsible for the catastrophe. Otherwise, such human catastrophes will never be prevented, and international peace, security and stability will always be threatened. What we demand is in full compliance with the universally accepted idea, that it is easier to avoid a crisis or conflict than to try to solve it after it has broken out.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“We think that the United Nations should set up a modem system of trusteeship that could be set in motion whenever necessary to prevent human catastrophes like that in Bosnia. Today, this is dictated by the situation in Kosovo, which is very close to posing a potential threat like that posed by Bosnia; it is dictated also by the situations in Rwanda, Somalia, Haiti and other places. As we said last year, we are in favor favor of United Nations intervention wherever there are clear signs, as determined by early-warning monitoring, of a threat of human catastrophe. As we all know, the consequences of such catastrophes have negative effects on regional and international peace and security.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“To this end, Albania maintains that the United Nations needs an efficient mechanism to warn of conflicts in advance and to intervene in time in order to prevent their outbreak. We would like to stress the conclusion we have drawn from Bosnia's tragic experience. We seriously believe that the tragedy could have been averted if there had been serious attention by the United Nations when it recognized the secession and independence of that Republic from the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The military intervention Serbia perpetrated in order to halt more secessions from the federation would have been avoided if the new Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina had been placed under the firm protection of the United Nations. It is never too late to draw lessons.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The crisis the world is currently experiencing urgently raises the need to achieve consensus on such a restructuring of the Security Council, so as to make this important decision-making body as representative and democratic as possible and even more effective in the adoption of decisions and their implementation. I take this opportunity to reiterate the candidature of my country for a non-permanent seat on the Security Council from the Eastern European Group for the 1996-1997 term. We think that giving this seat to Albania after 40 years of membership in the United Nations would also be an encouragement to small countries to assume the responsibility incumbent upon them and commit themselves to safeguarding peace, security and world order. We look confidently to the further enhancement of United Nations peace-keeping activities.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The Albanian Government will continue to make every effort to be constructive and strive for peace in its policy towards its Balkan neighbors, aware of the fact that the Balkans is one of the hottest and most dangerous spots in the world today, and therefore the attention of the international community should not be distracted from it. In conclusion, I should like to stress that we share the view and join the efforts aimed at revising the Charter and structure of the United Nations, especially as it concerns such important organs as the Security Council, which takes decisions on the maintenance of international peace and security, in order to enhance their efficiency in response to today's challenges in a fast-changing world.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“We tried to overcome the present-day crisis in our relations, provoked against our interest and will, through dialog either on a bilateral footing or through international mediation. The Greek minority people in Albania, too, have publicly supported unconditional dialog between the two Governments. Unfortunately, the Greek side has so far rejected a meeting of our two countries' Foreign Ministers, proposed by the Albanian side, as well as the mediation of the United Nations Secretary-General, the European Union presidency and the United States Administration. On the contrary, they are still bringing pressure to bear on the democratic Albanian Government.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“How could the Greek Government forget the 1944-1945 massacre of the Albanian population of Chameria, when thousands upon thousands of people were stabbed to death and killed with firearms by Greek chauvinistic nationalists. And some of those who could escape alive, old folk and children, were expelled to Albania and Turkey, thus creating a real tragedy of divided families, whereas their land, homes and other property were usurped by Greek colonists, who still possess them today in contravention of international civil law. We have always appreciated the importance of good relations with Greece, free from any concern and tension, for our development, peace and security. Because of the reasons already mentioned, this has not always worked out.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The Albanian Government has openly declared that the crisis in its relations with Greece will in no way affect the harmonious relations between Albanians and members of the Greek minority in Albania. On the other hand, we call on the Greek Government to apply the international conventions relating to ethnic minorities. It cannot shirk its responsibility with its senseless denial of the presence of national minorities in Greece. How could the Turkish, Macedonian and Albanian minorities vanish in Greece at a stroke? The Greek Government should put an end to the suffocating climate that prevents these minorities from asserting their own national identity.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Max van der Stoel, various non-governmental organizations, journalists and so on. With the establishment of the democratic regime in Albania, members of the Greek minority are represented in or lead local organs of power; are represented in the Albanian parliament in the ruling parties and the opposition parties, and even in a separate party; they are present at all levels of the administration as ministers, ambassadors, members of the supreme court, and so on; they go to Greece freely and with no obstacles from the Albanian State; they learn or are taught in their mother tongue, and a recent decision of the Albanian Government has created more opportunities to extend this possibility; they have their own schools at all levels, a separate branch in the Greek language at the Gjirokastra University, their own mass media, radio broadcasts and newspapers in the Greek language, as well as their political and cultural organizations.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The Greek minority expressed this stand openly two weeks ago during Albanian President Sali Berish's visit to Greek minority villages in the south of Albania. All this has arisen because ethnic minorities in Albania live in harmony with Albanians, and are not maltreated by the Government. On the contrary, with the establishment of the democratic regime, they are step by step enjoying the most advanced standards as set forth in United Nations instruments, the Copenhagen Document and other international conventions on minorities. This has been confirmed by dozens of foreign observers, ethnic minority specialists, parliamentarians, representatives of international institutions, including the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) High Commissioner for ethnic minorities, Mr.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The recent verdict passed by an Albanian court on five Albanian citizens of Greek origin on charges of collusion with the Greek secret services, sending out military intelligence, the distribution and illegal possession of arms and so on, was exploited as an excuse to attack the Albanian Government at all international institutions and forums, including this august Assembly, to block 35 million ecu in European Union aid to Albania, to expel in retaliation 60,000 Albanian citizens who were legally employed in Greece in a matter of a few weeks, maltreating them, beating them up and killing six of them. I am pleased to inform the Assembly that the Greek minority of Albania did not let itself fall prey to such a chauvinistic policy.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Greek nationalism is trying to manipulate about 60,000 Greeks who live in the south of Albania - according to the 1989 census, they comprise 1.85 per cent of the country's population - as a means to destabilize Albania and to achieve its annexationist designs. For this purpose, Greece is emitting organized, nationalistic and fundamentalist propaganda through radio stations, air-dropped leaflets and the distribution of materials which claim the south of Albania and demand the overthrow of the democratic Tirana Government. On 10 April 1994, an armed band was sent into Albania, where it killed two Albanian army men; hundreds upon hundreds of firearms have been smuggled into Greek minority villages and young Greek minority people have been recruited and sent to attend Greek military schools without the knowledge of the Albanian Government.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“It is the Greek Government which has blocked the recognition of Macedonia and has imposed a blockade on it, ignoring the fact that its border is also the border of the European Union. It is Greek state nationalism that blocks European Union aid to the poorest European country, Albania, rendering its economic growth more difficult. The Mitsotakis Government officially demanded the autonomy of "northern Epirus", as they call the south of Albania; the Papandreou Government declares that it has incorporated the south of our country in Greek defense planning. The official character the Greek Government has given to its policy on "northern Epirus" poses a serious threat to the Balkans.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“It is precisely for these reasons that Greece, the birthplace of democracy, our millenary neighbor, avoided and gave up the opportunity to serve as a promoter of the integration of the Balkan countries into Europe after the fall of the iron curtain. At the same time, through its official and unofficial policy it became a true champion of Serb nationalism - not, of course, for the sake of Serbia’s interests but for the sake of interests and ambitions which it hopes to achieve by remaking the Balkans. We do not mean that Greece can be compared to Serbia, for that would not be realistic. But what causes great concern is the progressively official character Greek nationalistic policy is assuming.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“However, it is also true that over the past two years Greek nationalism has blocked action by those institutions several times because of the consensus needed to take decisions. Today, the establishment and progressive consolidation of positions in Greek official circles is a bitter fact. The power game that is taking place in Greece is undoubtedly being played through the free vote, but, in distinction to all the other countries of Western Europe, it is being played with nationalist slogans. It is an undeniable fact that after the game is played official Greece will emerge more nationalistic than it was before.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“It is seeking, through a series of maneuvers, to block the reforms in Albania and to destabilize it in an attempt to render the settlement of the Albanian question more difficult and delay it. To facilitate the position of its ally in the north, it is making territorial claims against Albania. Greek nationalism is dangerous not only on account of its tradition but also because of the fact that it has the privilege of being a somewhat forgotten nationalism. For, since Greece is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and of the European Union, there is a tendency to ignore it. The truth is that Greece today, as a member of NATO and the European Union, is subject to a certain control by and dependence on those organizations, and this is a positive thing.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“We have insisted and still insist on carrying out a dialog between Kosovo's legitimate institutions and its leadership, on the one hand, and Belgrade, on the other, in the presence of a third party, on the restoration of the democratic institutions that were abolished with the use of tanks and on the definition of a status that should include recognition of the right to self-determination at an opportune moment. This is the only way, in our view, to reach an overall settlement of the Balkan crisis, which may grow into conflicts far larger than previous ones unless it is tackled with proper determination and responsibility. Greek nationalism, too, is another growing threat to Albania and the Albanians.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“They should be irreversible steps, for we consider that the future of peace and stability in the Balkans will also depend, to a considerable extent, on a just settlement of the Kosovo issue. Albanians in Kosovo have been deprived of all rights. Serb nationalism rejects dialog. It is brandishing weapons and engaging in threats by the use of tanks; it is organizing police terror daily from village to village, from one city quarter to another.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Sanctions against Belgrade should not to be eased but should be further tightened and truly implemented if we want the crisis hotbeds in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the occupied territories of Croatia, Sandiak and Vojvodina, and especially in Kosovo to be eliminated. The Albanian Government insists that the lifting of sanctions against Serbia be conditioned on the settlement of the Kosovo issue. We should be realists. It was not Milosevic's goodwill but the unanimous stand of the great Powers of the Contact Group that recently made Belgrade announce an interruption of its aid to Serbian aggression in Bosnia and accept international monitoring of that act. On this occasion we should stress that these decisions are positive and welcome.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“We have supported and still support the request of that Republic for the lifting of the arms embargo against it, an embargo which - there is no doubt - has been an encouragement to the aggressor. Similarly, we support the recent Security Council resolutions 941 (1994) and 942 (1994), which we believe are steps in the right direction for putting an end to hostilities in the region. However, we are opposed to resolution 943 (1994), which is a concession to the Milosevic regime and makes a settlement of the Yugoslav crisis and the establishment of general peace in the Balkans remote. I would like to recall that the crisis in the former Yugoslavia started in Kosovo and that it persists there, alive and very dangerous.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Such elements consider that the collapse of Communist dictatorships in the Balkans created a vacuum to be exploited to achieve their nationalist ambitions. Hence, Serb nationalism launched an aggression in the north and a war to realize a Greater Serbia by creating a real holocaust at the end of this century against the Bosnian people and by strengthening apartheid in Kosovo.That nationalism is bogged down in grave crimes. In our judgment, only the intransigence of the international community and the refusal to recognize the violation of the principles that all of us have accepted will compel the Serbs in Belgrade, Pale and Knin to give up war as a means of solving problems. The dismemberment of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the "ethnic cleansing" on its territory are unacceptable.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“National divisions, inter-ethnic hatred or religious diversity are encouraged and artificially provoked, and they are converted into major national and international policy issues in an attempt to disguise historically unfounded territorial claims. At the foundation of what politicians today call "ethnic conflicts" in the Balkans lie the aggressive nationalism of a hegemony-seeking nation, racism and xenophobia, genocide and massive "ethnic cleansing". That is why we have often insisted that any settlement that would legalize the accomplished fact of "ethnic cleansing" in Bosnia would create a dangerous precedent for new tragedies of this kind, starting in the Balkan region. Today, Serb and Greek nationalism are seriously threatening the Balkans.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The Milosevic regime's opposition, through a bloody war, to the will of the peoples to break away from the former Yugoslav Federation was the first challenge to the principles of the United Nations Charter and the Helsinki Final Act, while the dismembering of Bosnia and Herzegovina was the first act carried out in the name of creating a hegemony-seeking Greater Serbia at the expense of this former republic of the Federation, a Member of the United Nations and of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE). In today's Balkans the nations that consider themselves more powerful and better armed are seeking to extend their territories through force and war in order to expand their power. Expansion and aggressiveness inspire their policies towards their neighbors.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“We are convinced that at the foundation of the present-day Balkan crisis lies the revival of aggressive nationalism, which has unfurled the banner of territorial annexationist claims. The end of the cold war has again brought onto the scene the demons of old Balkan politics which seek a redrawing of the existing borders and the re-dismemberment of some States to the benefit of others.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“We hold that the developed countries could contribute with a full strategy and program in order to encourage the radical democratic changes in the entire Balkan space, a kind of Marshall Plan designed to promote peace, democracy and modem civilization there, an economic- political program for the all-round rehabilitation of the region. National and ethnic problems left over from the past, backwardness in terms of economic and social development, and the new problems resulting from the change of systems make it still possible for old political mentalities to dominate the stage of inter-Balkan relations. Those mentalities are opposed to true democratic developments, even in the countries which call themselves ancient democracies. As a Balkan country, Albania is concerned about the war and the crises that have encompassed our peninsula.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“The question concerns recognition of the political self-governing entity of the Albanians, for which the population of Kosovo has cast its vote in a democratic manner. Belgrade should seriously consider this option. We consider regional cooperation and integration an indispensable condition for our integration into Europe. We have been making continuous efforts to promote understanding with our neighbors. For the further promotion of Albania's democratic and economic changes there is a need for security and confidence in the Balkans.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“We think that sound inter-ethnic understanding between Macedonians and Albanians, established on the basis of the due recognition of the Albanians' human and national rights, is indispensable for the domestic stability and prosperity of that Republic and the entire region. We would like to have peace, good-neighborlinesses and fruitful cooperation with Montenegro and Serbia, but these relations will remain frozen and mortgaged to the overall solution of the Yugoslav crisis, especially the political settlement of the Kosovo issue. The Kosovo issue is not merely and solely a question of respect for the human rights of the two million Albanian people and the recognition of a few rights in the areas of education and culture.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“As regards the new Balkan State, our eastern neighbor, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, we are resolutely committed to building relations of exemplary neighborliness with it and to helping that country overcome its internal and external difficulties. We are convinced that its integrity, its internal stability, its recognition and its membership in all international forums are of vital importance for peace, security and stability in the region. Our indispensable good relations with Macedonia are linked to and conditioned by the presence of an Albanian population that ranks second in size to Macedonians.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“We have established such relations with Italy and are on the way to their further and all-round development. We would also like to have on a consistent basis the sort of good, tension-free relations we are currently enjoying with Greece, the only country of the Balkans that is a member of the European Union. We regard these relations, not merely as bilateral, but also as closely linked to the prospect of the integration of Albania and the Balkans into Europe. Advances are being made in the relations of good-neighborliness and broad cooperation with Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania, on the basis of a long historical tradition.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)
“Albania attaches special importance to strengthening friendly relations and cooperation with the international community, the European Union, the United States of America, the countries of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and other friendly countries in the world. Albania's President Berisha is resolutely devoted to the establishment and strengthening of these ties in order to do away, once and for all, with the bitter consequences of the severe 50-year isolation which our people suffered. We want to have friendly relations, especially with our neighbors, and we are making efforts so that a climate of good understanding and cooperation, based on mutual respect and benefit in the spirit of the basic principles of the Helsinki Final Act, will prevail all around us.”
1994-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 49 (1994)