YouSaid · the spoken record

Aleksandar Vučić

lines on the record: 126
first: 2016-09-24
most recent: 2023-09-24
sittings or episodes: 6
sources: un-general-debate

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“I want to take this opportunity to invite the representatives of all United Nations Member States to take part in the world exhibition Expo 2027. Belgrade. Serbia’s capital, a cosmopolitan metropolis with 2 million inhabitants, is home, and we extend a welcoming hand for participation in the freest and most diverse international exhibition so far. We invite everyone to Belgrade to celebrate humanity together. I know that I have spoken much longer than I was asked to do. but I have to say that I have given myself the same right to do so as the big Powers have given themselves.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“declaring the period from 2024 to 2033 the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development. We do all this for future generations. I believe that the involvement of young people in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda is an important prerequisite for its success because, beyond any doubt, the young are the most important development engine of every society. I believe that we are all aware that there is no development without peace. As Nelson Mandela said. “Peace is the greatest weapon for development that any person can have”. We must believe in that and work together on it. The conditio sine qua non is. first and foremost, conversation — to listen and to try to hear and understand each other. There is no alternative to peace. Finally.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“That is why our future activities will be focused on innovation, research and development and creative industries. Serbia is the first country in the South-East Europe region that joined the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence and adopted a development strategy in that area back in 2019. The BIO4 campus is being built; it is a unique, multidisciplinary complex for research and development in the natural sciences, which should become one of the key bioeconomic hubs in Europe. We firmly believe that knowledge and science play one of the key roles in accelerating activities towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Therefore. I am proud that, at the proposal of the Republic of Serbia and like-minded countries, the General Assembly adopted resolution 77/326.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Among some of the results so far are the following: the development of instruments for integrating the principle of leaving no one behind into our legislative and strategic documents, as well as our participation in global initiatives and their implementation at the national level in the areas of sustainable food systems, the transformation of education systems and urban development. We have lived to see the fourth industrial revolution and new technologies as a development opportunity that we must not squander. That is why we continue investing in infrastructure, economic reforms and the creation of better business environment. Digitization and education are among our key priorities. The need to find new sources of growth has also been recognized.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“We are grateful to all those who have supported us and had faith in us. After lengthy negotiations with a great deal of optimism, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity, was adopted in this Hall in resolution 70/1. by which we pledged that no one would be left behind. Halfway to the deadline for meeting the goals of the Agenda, there is still a glimmer of hope that we will be able to fulfil the promise we gave, although there are many reasons for concern. Despite the progress that has been made in certain areas, unfortunately we are still facing basic existential problems such as poverty, hunger and inequality. Serbia puts maximum effort into securing a stable and safe future, at the same time initiating policies based on the Sustainable Development Goals.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“This priority certainly does not exclude our commitment to cooperation development and the deepening of relations with our traditional friends in all parts of the world, and in particular in our region, where we remain a reliable and responsible partner. We will strive to strengthen existing and build new friendships, both bilaterally and through participation in the initiatives and forums of different regions all over the world. The latest confirmation that geographic distance should not be a barrier to cooperation is the recent accession of the Republic of Serbia to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia. Additionally, we are proud of having been given a unique opportunity to make the spirit of friendship I speak of felt in Belgrade, which will host the specialized exhibition Expo 2027.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“That was the very guiding star and initiator of the Open Balkan initiative, which has yielded concrete results so far and strengthened regional ownership of the processes of the economic connectivity of the region. The Open Balkan initiative has also improved the political atmosphere. We take such an approach to all our neighbours and our key interest is to preserve stability in the region and turn towards as intensive cooperation as possible in all areas. Those processes are certainly an inseparable part of our strivings to become a full-fledged member of the European Union, which is at the same time one of the key priorities of our foreign policy.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“I believe in the future, and I believe that, by making joint efforts, we still have the capacity and ability to try to overcome our differences and focus on what connects us — our care for the well-being of our nations. We want to build bridges, not walls. We need to look towards the future. We need to move forward and to use every chance for economic growth, connectivity and the exchange of ideas. Today we have common toll collection from Belgrade almost to the Adriatic Sea. and soon we will have it to the Aegean Sea. We have opened the borders in the Balkans; we have opened the labour market and enabled the free flow of people, goods and capital.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“We do not divide people by the colour of their skin or their religious affiliation; that is why our relations with the People’s Republic of China, many Arab and other Muslim countries are at the highest historical level. Nor have we cut our important and historical ties with the Russian Federation. Believing that dialogue is the only way to find a compromise solution. Serbia remains committed to that process in the aim of ensuring peaceful coexistence for Serbs and Albanians. The peace and stability of the region have no alternative. It is in that belief that we approach all discussions facilitated by the EU. As many here may know, different interpretations of history are the cause of many disagreements and open issues, and not only in our region.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“including the European facilitators, adhere firmly to what has been agreed. The imbalance by which Serbia has to make concessions all the time is not leading towards a solution — quite the contrary. As I said at the beginning of my speech. Serbia is on its European path, ready to change, to reform itself and to make progress. Today Serbia has very good cooperation with the United States of America in almost all areas, and we believe that our relations will only be better in the future. At the same time. Serbia will cherish its big and traditional friendships on all continents, while being proud of its good relations with all the nations and countries of Africa. Asia and Latin America.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“By safekeeping their borders today, they safe-keep their borders and they preserve peace. On their behalf, as well as on our behalf, we will continue, year after year, to underline that defending principles is the same as defending freedom, independence and peace. It often seems to us that the discussion with Pristina’s Government is more like a monologue than a dialogue because it is hard to explain why. more than 10 years after the signing of the Brussels Agreement and the ensuing obligations, the community of Serb majority municipalities has not been formed. The Republic of Serbia, its Government and all its institutions are working in their full capacity on the preservation of dialogue with the Pristina, under EU auspices. It is our task. Dialogue is possible only when all of us.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Therefore, it is hard for me to understand how some are still not acting in a consistent manner when it comes to the need to respect the territorial integrity of Serbia and how they fail to understand that the selective application of principles leads to pronounced divisions, a lack of solidarity and mutual understanding. However. I want to wholeheartedly thank the global majority. Significantly more than one half of United Nations Member States support the United Nations Charter in our case, and they do not support the violent partition of my country. I am glad that, for the majority of United Nations Member States, double standards are out of the question. We are deeply grateful to all who selflessly support our efforts to preserve our territorial integrity, thereby demonstrating their commitment to the United Nations Charter.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Respecting the United Nations Charter is not a choice; it is an obligation. After all. as I have already said while mentioning some names, this is what we had the opportunity to hear during statements made by most colleagues while talking, among other issues, about the topic that is still dominant in all forums — the conflict in Ukraine. I agree with them when it comes to the necessity of respecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, which the Republic of Serbia has consistently done from the beginning. We have been making such appeals continuously for decades, but with a significant difference. Serbia supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all United Nations Member States — I repeat, all Member States.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“And in this very difficult situation, the United Nations is the last substantial platform that brings us all together, regardless of all our differences and divisions. I believe that the commitment to peace and development and the desire to resolve disputes through dialogue, to find common ways to end human suffering and to ensure a more prosperous and stable future are precisely what unites us. That is why we extend our full support to all important reform processes of the United Nations itself, including the initiatives of the Secretary-General. For the preservation of global peace and so that we all do not disappear in a Darwinist conflict led by great Powers, it is necessary to join forces, just like we did 78 years ago. in a common fight for an international order based on the United Nations Charter.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“with its not very great strength but with its paramount decisiveness and courage. We did not change those principles for the purpose of daily politics and our own needs. And just as we preserve the integrity of Serbia, we defend the integrity of each United Nations Member State. It is only a bit sad that all the big ones, which are not interested in the law and justice, call in different circumstances upon whatever principles they find the most suitable at that particular moment. When one follows such politics, when there is no morality in world politics, then it is clear that we are about to enter an era of big divisions and big conflicts — not only political and economic, but military ones as well.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“unfortunately, are seeing today in different parts of the world when an obvious act of terror — which they themselves say recalls what happened to Albanians — happens against Serbs, there is no humanitarian disaster; there is no call for action. There is nothing. They are only worried now and shrug their shoulders, but if they have to make any decisions, it will always be. as they put it. the fault of both sides. In such a world. I believe that one small Serbia, by raising its voice and fighting for universal values and the principles of the inviolability of internationally recognized borders, territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence, sets an example of a fight for the right that was abolished here in this building, and protects the principles the world should be made of.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Seven innocent civilians have been shot by the representatives of the so-called Kosovo institutions. The disruption of the delivery of supplies to hospitals, election voting bans for Serbs alone, a comprehensive economic blockade of Serbian goods, and attacks against churches, graveyards and schools are a part of the sad daily life of my people in that part of our territory, parted by the violent secession contrary to the United Nations Charter. And hard as it is to believe, even though there has not been a single Albanian wounded, not a single suspect apprehended or a single injured Albanian, it is always somehow the fault of both sides. Unlike in 1999. when Belgrade and other cities in my country were bombed, leaving a bloody trail from several thousand dead civilians and soldiers in scenes that pretty much resemble those that we.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Since the European Union and United States State Secretary Antony Blinken issued a statement in early June, condemning the unilateral action of the so-called Government of Kosovo, ethnically motivated attacks against Serbs in our southern province have risen by 50 per cent, while during the same period the Pristina authorities have made 22 new escalatory moves. The Serbian boys Stefan Stojanovic and Milos Stojanovic. who are 11 and 21-years-old. respectively, were wounded on Christmas Eve by members of the so-called Kosovo security forces (KSF). in whose equipping some of the attendees in this Hall take part, knowing quite well that it is deeply illegal and that the mere existence of the KSF is contrary to Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Only one day later, as we sit in this Hall, a new contingency of Serbs is being taken to Kurti’s prisons, apprehended pursuant to fabricated accusations, as a part of his terror campaign. Even worse are the actions continuously undertaken by Kurti’s extremist regime in the past 20 months and which, in practice, together with the repeated, accelerated displacement of the remaining Serbs, are turning into a crawling ethnic cleansing in the heart of Europe. Members can conclude for themselves just how deep the Kurti’s regime’s cynicism goes from the following.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Today in Kosovo and Metohija, a southern province of the Republic of Serbia, overt violence is taking place, directed against Serbs by the separatist authorities of Albin Kurti. Only last week, after who knows which failed round of dialogue in Brussels, the Prime Minister in Pristina. Mr. Albin Kurti. after rejecting the European proposal for de-escalation, addressed the public in front of one of the main buildings of the European Union and. before millions of viewers of the media that were present, conveyed to the not so many remaining Serbs in Kosovo that the Serbs will “suffer and pay for the mistake they made”. Is there anything worse than mocking humanity, the international rules- based order and the international community than these words? Unfortunately, that is possible.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Principles do not apply only to the strong; they apply to all. If that is not the case, they are no longer principles. And that is why I believe that in the modern world there will either be principles and the same rules will apply to all. or. as the world, we will end up in the deepest divisions in our history, in the most difficult conflicts and in problems we will not manage to cope with. Another important thing is that peace has become a forbidden word because all of them have their favourites and their culprits. The only values that remain to the great Powers are precisely their principles, but false ones. As long as they are fine with them, they will call upon them. The first time — as was the case with Serbia — they disagreed with the principles, the aw and the rules, the law. justice and the principles suffered.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“But when we ask them about the territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia and about what they did to my country, the answer is the one that all of representatives of small countries in the world have heard on countless of occasions: “Do not go back to the past; look towards the future because it is the only way for your country to make progress.” When it comes to the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Serbia and any other country, all of us are entitled to speak about it from this rostrum, at least a bit more than they are. I am the President of Serbia in my second presidential term. On countless occasions I have been under various kinds of political pressure. I am a political veteran, and what I will say today is most important to me. Principles do not change from one circumstance to another.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Nevertheless, worse than anything else is the fact that all those who committed aggression against the Republic of Serbia lecture today about the territorial integrity of Ukraine, as if we did not support the integrity of Ukraine. We do support it and we will keep supporting it. because we do not change our politics and principles, regardless of our centuries-long traditional friendship with the Russian Federation. To us. every violence is the same; every violation of the United Nations Charter is the same, regardless of the strength of the Power that exerts it or the inevitably similar excuses it makes for its illegal and immoral behaviour.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Pointless and meaningless explanations — such as the police terror that Serbian authorities had carried out in its southern province a decade earlier, the humanitarian crisis or the expulsion of the local Albanian population — were only the drop that overspilled the glass of lies and nonsense in order to justify the violence against a sovereign country and undermine its integrity. Since the moment of victory of those 19 against small Serbia. 70 per cent of Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija have left their homes, and there are now 300.000 Albanians more than there had ever been in Kosovo. Well, so much for the law; so much for justice.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Without a referendum or any other democratic form of declaring their stance to the citizens of Serbia or at least to those in Kosovo and Metohija itself, that decision was made at a moment when Serbia had a Government committed to European and Euro-Atlantic integration and when it included in its composition the province of Kosovo and Metohija. Serbia was then a full-fledged Member not only of the United Nations, but also of the Council of Europe, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and many other international organizations. Nevertheless, that did not prevent legal and political violence from being wielded by those who are today at the forefront in lecturing from this rostrum.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Even when they had finished that job. they said that the issue of Kosovo was a democratic issue and that it would be resolved in accordance with the United Nations Charter and other documents of international law. And then, contrary to absolutely all documents of international public law. it occurred to them in 2008 to support the independence of so-called Kosovo. The illegal decision on the secession of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija from Serbia was made a decade after the armed conflict in our country had ended.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“24 years ago and then exactly 15 years ago. For the first time, unprecedented in world history, the most powerful 19 countries made the decision, without the involvement of the Security Council — I repeat, without any decision by the Security Council — to brutally attack and punish a sovereign country on European soil, as they said, to prevent a humanitarian disaster. They did not laugh out loud when the Russian President used the very same words to justify his attack against Ukraine. They forgot that they themselves had used the same narrative, the same words and the same explanations. I would therefore like to inform members of the Assembly that Serbia has not set foot in the territory of any other country or threatened its existence; but 24 years ago. the most powerful and the strongest 19 showed no mercy to small Serbia.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“I had to see on these premises the President of so-called Kosovo, who is considered by the most powerful part of the West to be the President of an independent country — originating, by the way. through its secession from the territory of the Republic of Serbia. At the same time, only a few metres away from this Hall, the German Minister said that Germany firmly observed the Charter of the United Nations and United Nations decisions and documents, and that it would never give up on that. All that would be nice if it were true. Specifically, almost all Western Powers brutally violated both the United Nations Charter and Security Council resolution 1244 (1999). which was adopted in this renowned Organization, just as they denied and violated those very principles that they are defending today. This happened, first.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Those principles were violated not by the small States, which are often the targets of attack, but by the most powerful countries in the world, especially those that give themselves the right to lecture, each from its own angle, on politics and morals to the whole world. Here in this Hall only two days ago (see A/78/ PV.4). we heard the President of the United States speak of the most important principle in relations between countries: respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty. It was only as the third most important factor that he mentioned human rights. It seemed to me that everybody in this Hall could support that. I. as the President of Serbia, supported it with unhidden jubilance. The only problem in all that was the fact that, a few hours after his speech.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“I believe, all who will speak after me — have spoken of the necessity of changes in the world, underlining their own countries as exemplars of morality and commitment to the law and world justice. Today I will not utter many superlatives about my country; about the growth of salaries and pensions or about hundreds of kilometres of constructed highways and railroads, newly built hospitals and schools, science-technology parks or the artificial intelligence institute, because it is a natural thing that I protect its interests and that I love it more than anything in the world. But I will speak about the principles that have been violated and that have brought us to the situation in which we are today.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“In the meantime, we have started to talk even less and less. It is as if virtually all. guided solely by their own interests and entrenched in their positions, have given up on seeking compromise solutions. While for three days in a row we pledge from this place to respect of principles and rules of the United Nations Charter, their violation is rooted precisely in most of the problems in international relations, and the implementation of dual standards is an open invitation to all those who strive to achieve their interests through war and violence, by violating not only the norms of international law but also basic human morality. All the speakers so far — and.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“It was precisely the violation of the United Nations Charter in the case of Serbia that was one of the visible precursors of the numerous problems we are all facing today, which go far beyond the borders of my country and the region I come from. Broadly observed, since we last met in this Hall the world is neither a better nor a safer place — quite the opposite. Global peace and stability remain under acute threat. We continue to face problems related to energy security, financial instability, and security and disruptions in the food and medication supply chains. Not only have we not found solutions to many problems, but they have become more numerous, and some have even grown more complex. I have also spoken about how nobody here listens to anyone and or strives for real agreements.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“Nevertheless, in an era of social network dominance, when the only important thing is to get one more “like”; in an era when a pet gets more attention than a child, it is no wonder that we cannot recognize the dangers that are in front of us. As the President of one not-so-big country. I cannot and have no right to speak about relations between great Powers. It is neither my job. nor could I do so. but I can — and I will — speak about how inobservance of international public law can bring horrible consequences. The attempt to cut my country into pieces, which formally started in 2008 with the unilateral declaration of independence of so-called Kosovo, has not ended yet.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“The new global wave of wars and violence that are impacting the foundations of international security is a painful consequence whose cause lies in abandoning the principles envisaged in the United Nations Charter. All of us. speaking in this renowned Organization, speak about our own problems, confronting often a real and imaginary enemy, patronizing our own public, or telling fairy tales of the future with an insufficiently realistic view of the issues. What does the future of the world look like? Even though all of us listened to the words of the Secretary-General, not many actually heard and almost not a single world news outlet conveyed his words of warning.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“I stand before the Assembly as the representative of a free and independent country, the Republic of Serbia, which is on its European Union (EU) accession path, but which at the same time is not ready to turn its back on traditional friendships it has been building for centuries. I want to raise my voice on behalf of my country, but also on behalf of those who today. 78 years after the establishment of the United Nations, truly and equally believe that the principles of the Charter of the United Nations are the only substantial defence of world peace, the right to freedom and the independence of nations and countries; but more than that, they are a pledge of the very survival of the human civilization.”
2023-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 78 (2023)
“But we must not forget that the United Nations is as strong as our respect for the agreed decisions and documents of the Organization. I would like to recall something that we have already heard uttered 23 times: “The only standard we must follow is the Charter of the United Nations.” That is what we heard from everybody, but in the case of the Republic of Serbia, we saw that 17 of the 23 representatives speaking about the United Nations Charter and United Nations resolutions violated international law and did not follow the rules created and espoused by the United Nations. I hope that we will be able to overcome all of those difficulties and to apply the rules and procedures equally for everyone. Otherwise, I do not see the light at the end of the tunnel. Long live Serbia.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Serbia shares the Secretary-General’s vision of a future of global cooperation, as envisaged by Our Common Agenda (A/75/982), and it strongly supports inclusive, networked and efficient multilateralism as the best tool for responding to the most urgent challenges for humankind. Multilateralism, collective action and common responsibility are critical elements of our discussions thus far, but I would like to underline that the starting point for each such constructive engagement is solidarity. Finally, I would like to reiterate that the Republic of Serbia will continue to be a reliable partner in achieving the common goals defined within the United Nations framework, led by the firm belief that it is the best path to forge a new world for us and generations to come.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“The topic of this year’s general debate alerts us to the importance of this moment and the relatedness of international challenges. The crises we are facing remind us of the importance of open communication. It does not take much wisdom to conclude that challenges can be successfully overcome only if their causes are properly identified. Serbia believes that it is imperative that current challenges not deepen world divisions in any way and that already obvious and intentional polarization at global levels should give way to principles of multilateralism. I would like to underline that the Republic of Serbia stands ready to take part in collective efforts to reach the Sustainable Development Goals and to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Peace.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“There is another very important challenge ahead that we must overcome together — finding the most efficient way to mitigate the consequences of the current international crisis inflicted on global food supply security. Developments in that regard are highly alarming, and the reality is such that all of us, with no exceptions, are struck by them. The growing prices of food and its availability have become an additional problem. The task for all of us is to find operational and efficient solutions that will leave no one behind. It is up to us, States, as the most important international subjects, to participate individually in the coordination of measures, first of all, by contributing to this noble task at the national level in order to preserve what is most valuable — human lives and human dignity.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Nevertheless, we remain vitally interested in diversifying supply sources through additional investment in energy infrastructure, but also in the faster and more efficient development of capacities based on renewables. It is precisely at the United Nations that we named the ongoing decade the decade of action — for transformation towards a more sustainable and resilient future. It must remain so, but at a slightly faster pace. Unequal development and financial perils in developing countries cause additional social layering and inevitably bring new antagonisms. Equal development must be neither limited nor conditioned geographically or politically; it must be provided to all people, regardless of ethnic, racial, cultural or religious affiliation.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Solidarity, which was necessary in fighting the pandemic, is needed to a far greater extent today, when people’s basic needs for food and energy are endangered. The Republic of Serbia thinks of its energy security as an inseparable part of its national security and as the key prerequisite for the continuation of the economic development and progress of our country. We strive to provide the continuity of the energy supply, but we share the concern over the current geopolitical challenges that undermine energy stability in the world and in Europe. We remain committed to finding solutions with the transformational strength to attain regional and European energy safety. I would like to underline that the Republic of Serbia managed to preserve continuity in energy supply during the ongoing crisis.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“In that way, Serbia actually continues to contribute to peace, stability and the reconciliation process in the region, whereby it certainly provides a significant contribution to global security. We found the inspiration for the respective in the words of one of the greatest diplomats in history and a great Secretary-General, Dag Hammarskjold, that this Organization “was not created to take mankind into paradise, but rather to save humanity from hell”. From the moment we curbed the global pandemic, we already faced new, unprecedented challenges for this century. While we, as humankind, take one step at a time in accelerated technological development, there are existential problems ahead of us, such as energy security and the financial safety of developing countries, but also distortions in the supply chains of basic food provisions.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“First of all, in the economy, trade and flow of people and capital, for three years Serbia, Albania and North Macedonia have been implementing the Open Balkan initiative, which has a clear vision, namely, to open up the region for people, goods, services, capital and companies in order to create a space that would be permanently liberated from tensions and conflicts. In addition to the unquestionable common economic benefit that the initiative brings, it has a broader dimension, first of all in connecting people with different cultures and in promoting diversity, which clearly contributes to the general development of society in that part of Europe.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Serbia and Albania, for example, today have the closest and the friendliest relationship in the entire several-centuries- long common history in the area of the Balkan peninsula. It took only clear-headed and pragmatic discussions about our future, not about our past, and talking about how to resolve the problems that were bothering our people, companies, workers, students and entrepreneurs. We discussed a great deal and by ourselves reached numerous solutions that have already removed barriers that existed between us for no rational reasons.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Serbia was featured as a potential destabilizing factor in the region only to be prevented from telling the truth — that the principle of the inviolability of borders must be equally applicable to all. Serbia was, and will be, a factor for stability in the entire region. Despite many untruths and falsehoods, Serbia supports the Dayton Peace Agreement, the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the integrity of Republika Srpska within Bosnia and Herzegovina. Meanwhile, we are convinced that the nations of the Balkans have the capacity to continue their lives in the future as friends and partners, with a common vision of membership of a united Europe. I know that well because we have already overcome many barriers that stood between our nations for years and that cost us thousands of lives and wasted futures.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“The Balkan region could not stand another conflict. I rely on the goodwill and understanding of our international partners because they well know that some earlier decisions by their Governments were bad ones and that they were not acting in favour of the future of our region and world peace. Belgrade is running that process under very complex circumstances, with elements of a hybrid war and a dirty campaign in part of the international community against our country in various areas. It is sufficient just to recall the quotes and allegations of the world media that Serbia would attack its neighbours and that Serbia was a threat to regional stability. Of course, that never happened, and it was only one among numerous lies against the Republic of Serbia.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“The Republic of Serbia, and I as its President, search very patiently and with a great deal of goodwill for compromise regarding Kosovo and Metohija under the auspices of the European Union and within the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue. It is a difficult process; it has lasted for more than 10 years, but we see no alternative to it. It is better to negotiate for 100 years than to wage war for a single day. I hope that we will reach a mutually acceptable solution, based on compromise, because that is absolutely the only way to reach our goal, which is long-lasting peace as a prerequisite for a prosperous life for Serbs and Albanians in an entire region. We have exhausted all other options and, speaking for Serbia at least, we do not even dream about going back to the path of conflict and bloodshed.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Participants wonder why? Because they have power in their hands and, in their eyes, we are small and weak. However, as those present can hear and see, we have the strength to tell the truth, even here. We owe special gratitude to all those States Members of the United Nations — and they currently constitute a majority at this Assembly — that support the territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia, particularly in the space and territory of Kosovo and Metohija. In addition, it is encouraging that the number of countries that support Serbia’s position increased in the period between the two sessions, which is a trend that must continue because it is of the utmost importance to remain loyal to the basic principles embedded in the United Nations Charter, such as the principle of the inviolability of borders.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Owing precisely to such developments, which Serbia experienced and continues to experience, I am convinced that I am fully entitled to quote in this Hall the words of the great Martin Luther King: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Those words are carved like a reminder, but also as a warning to all of us. Regardless of the fact that we still feel the consequences of the gross violation of the basic provisions of international public law, we do not give up on the United Nations founding principles. We will continue to advocate consistent observance of the principle of the inviolability of borders and respect for the sovereignty and integrity of all other States Members of the United Nations. Despite that position of ours, many in this Hall have issues with respecting the territorial integrity of Serbia.”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)
“Nevertheless, as I said, that did not prevent the 19 richest NATO countries from attacking a sovereign country without a decision by the Security Council. The signing, upon termination of the armed conflict, of the agreement with NATO, whose provisions envisaged the adoption of resolution 1244 (1999), and which confirmed and guaranteed the partial sovereignty and full territorial integrity of Serbia, did not prevent many Western countries from unilateral recognition of the independence of so-called Kosovo and from once again violating the territorial integrity of our country, the Charter of the United Nations and resolution 1244 (1999).”
2022-09-24 · UN General Assembly · General Debate, Session 77 (2022)