YouSaid · the spoken record

Dačić

lines on the record: 136
first: 2013-11-19
most recent: 2023-04-27
sittings or episodes: 4
sources: un-security-council

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 am here for the twenty-fifth time at a Security Council meeting. From the way she speaks and thinks that a President could go against the will of the international community tells me that she probably will not remain in her position for long, but that is her problem. We do want to dialogue, but we do not want for someone not to fulfil their obligation while being rewarded for not doing so, which is the case with Pristina. We could probably have long discussions over many days. Regardless of our political differences and our different political views, we have no reason not to talk. Of course we have to talk. But if we hope for success, we have to have good political will, and I am not certain that we do. Actually, I am certain that this is not the case with the representatives of the Pristina Administration, headed by Kurti.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“When it comes to the red lines President Vučić mentioned, I want everyone to know that Vučić never signed an agreement, because for us de facto or de jure recognition of Kosovo their membership in the United Nations are unacceptable. We have verbally agreed to the implementation of something, but the first condition of the implementation of any part of these agreements is the formation of the association of Serb municipalities, and we will see what will actually happen in that regard. She does not want peace. She is full of hatred, and she wants war. We are not afraid of her, but the international community should be afraid of her. That is what Mr. Escobar says when he comes, that the association of Serb municipalities has to be formed — with Kurti or without him. I say this since she talked about this and about Aleksandar Vučić and I.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“I did not think it would be correct. I do not know whether they recognize Serbia or not or under which principles those people are representatives of Serbia in the United Nations. To cut it short, she can say whatever she likes. She can lie, but she has to understand that we are different and that we have our differences on the issue of status of Kosovo. We do not consider Kosovo to be a State, but she does. She has her approach, and we have our own approach. Each country has its own Kosovo. That is why each country is wondering how we should approach solving this issue. We think that Kosovo is Serbia. She does not agree. Should we lead a war? I kindly ask her to align her approach to the political will expressed by everyone in order for dialogue to succeed.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Is she not embarrassed by this? She is spitting on Serbia, but she has no problem with taking a couple of thousand dollars on our account. Eighteen of them are in P- and D-level positions. She knows the level of importance of those posts and the highest position that Serbia reaches in the United Nations. She, who does not recognize Serbia, is from independent Kosovo, but here in the United Nations, she works under a Serbian passport. Is she not embarrassed? If she refuses it, then she should maybe give it up. She should say that she despises Serbia, that Serbia is disgusting and a genocidal country. I am the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and she has greatly offended me. Yet, her colleagues and people have Serbia written in their passport. I am certain that she has seen them here. Perhaps one of them is here listening to this.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Albin Kurti said several years ago that Kosovo sought independence from Serbia, but not from Albania. She is now talking about the great Serbian world while she calls for all Albanians to unite. That is something her father advocated back in 1982. Was Vučić, Milošević or Dačić in power then? No, it was Josip Broz Tito, whom she allegedly liked and supported in her youth. And now she is complaining about Yugoslavian security forces. She hates Serbia, and it is very hypocritical, but if she could use it, then she has no problem with it. Here I have a list of employees of the United Nations, not counting the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo — 240 people employed by the United Nations, and after each of their names, it says Serbia. But 123 of them are actually Serbs, whereas 105 of them are Albanians.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“She talks about the visits of the international community to Pristina. They came to pressure her to form the association of Serb-majority municipalities, not because she is an example of democracy. She talks about military exercises. Since 2021, we have had only four with Russia and Belarus, while we had five or six with the United States and she knows that. What is she — more Catholic than the Pope? She refers to the Serbian people, the Serbian World and Greater Serbia, but as far as I know, Kosovo has the day of the Albanian flag on 28 November. The list during the elections she represented did not recognize the flags of Kosovo. She received international representatives under the Albanian flag. Do you think the representatives at this meeting do not know that her political programme consists of uniting with Albania?”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“In the presence of Hillary Clinton and with the support of Angela Merkel, Hashim Thaçi, Catherine Ashton and I signed the Brussels Agreement. Gërvalla says that if something is not being fulfilled, then it is a farce and a lie. That is where she is right. This is a farce. Kosovo’s failure to form the association of Serb-majority municipalities has been tolerated for 10 years. I did not think of that; it was the request of the international community. Now she is saying that Mr. Vučić, Mr. Dačić and she have discussed that so many times. I think she probably just rewrote her statement from the last meeting (see S/PV.9155) and added me to it, as I was not that interesting to her when she participated in the meeting last time. When it comes to us, we fulfilled all our international obligations, and international capitals knows that.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Does she know how many other countries there are in the Balkans, if Kosovo could even be considered a country? Kosovo is the most democratic country in the Balkans. Kosovo is a guarantor of freedom and peace in the Balkans. Yes, that is something it has been for centuries when, in the First World War, it fought against Americans, French and the British and, in the Second World War, it fought on the side of Hitler, the SS Skanderbeg and so on. Kosovo was definitely always on the right side of freedom and a guarantor of stability. And then citizen Gërvalla says that when Kosovo promises something, it keeps its word. That is like a tragic comedy. Security Council members should refer to Council records from 10 years ago.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Near Klečka 1,300 people were kidnapped, and there were rapes. That was recorded by the consultative bodies of UNMIK. I do not approve of any crimes towards Albanians or Serbs, but I kindly ask her that, when we talk about this, we not have a selective approach. Each war criminal must be brought to justice. Selective and double standards lead us to discussing crimes which were allegedly committed only against Albanians and certain statements of the citizen Gërvalla will become part of the history. I think Orwell would envy her statements. Many Council members think that this is perhaps like a hidden camera or a joke, so I kindly ask them to write it down as a reminder of something very hypocritical. Kosovo is the most democratic country in the Balkans. She is not only offending Serbs and others.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“She is talking about principles and about Ukraine. Ukraine does not recognize Kosovo. She is talking about our alliance with Russia and Albania. We have the Open Balkan Initiative. Does the fact that we have deals with Russia mean that Albania and North Macedonia have deals with Russia too? I know that she has lectured them on entering the Open Balkan Initiative. She is talking about the boycotts of the elections. The people of Kosovo have boycotted elections in Serbia for many years. She can tell that to those who do not know. This is theatre of the absurd. Had Kosovo been hers, she would have an Albanian word for Kosovo and she would not be using the Serbian word Kosovo. When it comes to crimes, I do not want to remind her that the families in Staro Gracko killed people, including children.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“She is talking about bloody battles, including the Kosovo battle, which she did not witness. That battle happened 500 years ago and took place between Serbs and Turks, because Albanians did not live there. In any case, resolutions 1160 (1998), 1203 (1998) and 1199 (1998) refer to the representatives of Kosovo security forces as terrorist forces. She is talking about the alliance of her foreign policy with that of the European Union. That is very interesting. With what foreign policy did Kosovo align its decision to open an embassy in Jerusalem? Was that in accordance with the policy of the European Union? Was that in accordance with the position of the General Assembly or was that necessary for Kosovo in order for Israel to recognize its independence? Do not be ridiculous. We are small, but we are not stupid.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“It is because we have not taken part in anything, while she has. I thank her for helping to accuse Mr. Thaçi and Mr. Veseli for war crimes, because I am certain that they helped her gather the testimonies from the victims’ families. When she talks about genocide, one side, which is accused of committing genocide, has endured great sacrifices and has victims. I told her that there were 40,000 Serbs living in Pristina in the 1990s. Where are those Serbs? Today there are only 100 or a couple of hundred. Kosovo used to have 10,000 Serbs in prison. Now it has only 25 or 23. If genocide is being committed against it, which she claims, the numbers should be reversed. What is she talking about? Every metre of Kosovo land has been covered in Serbian blood for centuries.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Gërvalla- Schwarz has shown that her policy for decades has been an independent Kosovo, and if it can be done through Americans, French, Germans, so much the better, but, if it has to be done through war or conflict, so be it, because her friends will accept it in the end. Since she has invited the Kosovo issue to be resolved through armed conflict, her hands are bloody. In 2017, she said that she will send evidence of crimes committed by Hashim Thaçi and Kadri Veseli against her political opponents, and they say that she has done so, which is why she has security with her all the time. I would like to remind the Council that, 10 years ago, I signed the Brussels Agreement, together with Hashim Thaçi and Catherine Ashton. I am here. Where is Hashim Thaçi? Why was I or President Vučić not accused of being responsible for something?”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Gërvalla-Schwarz’s father, whom she did not mentioned today, I wish to say generally and absolutely that Serbia had nothing to do with Federal State Security Services from 1988, while those services were staffed with Slovenians, Croats and others. Citizen Gërvalla has actually accused some members of the Kosovo parties in power of having worked for Serbian and Yugoslav security forces. When it comes to the reasons why her father had the kind of political positions he had, I would remind her that, in 1982, long before Milosević, Dačić and Vučić, he, like other Albanians, was a separatist and was advocating an independent Kosovo. What, then, are we talking about? Ms.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Colleagues in her Ministry have accused her of promoting segregation by nationality. I was born in Kosovo, while Ms. Gërvalla-Schwarz was born in Skopje, in northern Macedonia. She therefore has no lessons to teach me on the history of Kosovo. As I mentioned previously, it is abundantly clear that Kosovo is not interested in dialogue. Let me quote a statement by Ms. Gërvalla-Schwarz from 1998: “The Albanian people thought wrong when they believed that the Americans would bring them freedom and that [the Albanian people] should be prepared for the Kosovo issue to be resolved through war”. That was her statement before the NATO aggression in 1999. When we speak of Ms.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Mr. Dačić (Serbia) (spoke in Serbian; English interpretation provided by the delegation): I do not know why we are having a language problem. We never had problems like this before; I do remember that Hashim Thaçi and others speaking in Albanian in this Chamber on previous occasions, so I hardly think that there was anything wrong in this. On the other hand, Council members have heard what Citizen Gërvalla said, so they have a first-hand idea of what the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristine looks like, in particular in terms of the degree of extremism it entails. From this, it is clear to see that Kosovo does not actually want a dialogue. Kosovo wants to see war and conflict continue. Members should take note of Ms. Gërvalla- Schwarz’s racism towards Serbian DNA in her statements.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“As the Council is aware, I signed the Brussels Agreement of Principles Governing the Normalization of Relations 10 years ago. The other side is interested only in the independence of Kosovo. The Agreement adopted in Brussels is not about recognizing each other but rather on normalizing further relations. Whether that is too little for the representatives of Pristina is not up to us to decide. We will make every possible effort. We are ready to implement all the principles of the Agreement. However, before that, we must see that the obligations made more than 10 years ago to form the association of Serb-majority municipalities are being respected today. Otherwise there can be no agreement of any kind.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“I feel compelled to take this opportunity to once again express my gratitude to the majority of Member States that have not recognized the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo out of their respect for international law, as we are know that the danger posed by unilateral moves that lead to the violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a State can spill over to other regions and countries in the world. In the end, I want to say only one thing to all members of the United Nations and to this respected body, which is that we must respect the Charter of the United Nations and the Organization’s resolutions if we want the real effect and normalization of global action to be valid for everyone and applied without exceptions or double standards. We are fully dedicated to dialogue.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“The so-called independence of Kosovo has led to serious turbulence in international relations, divisions among countries, globally and in international organizations and political groups alike. Fifteen years after that declaration of so-called independence, I want to state very clearly, in my full obligation as Minister for Foreign Affairs of Serbia and my awareness of the position of all States Members of the United Nations on the issue, that in the past few years 28 countries have revoked their recognition of Kosovo, and of the 193 States Members of the United Nations, only 84 now recognize it. There is no way that Kosovo can become a member of the United Nations, as it does not have majority support. Anyone can ask the members of the Security Council to confirm that fact.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“At this stage of the dialogue, we have no time to waste and are obliged to truly dedicate ourselves to the final goal, which, at least for the Serbian side, represents peaceful coexistence and the normalization of the situation. As I mentioned earlier, at a time when the clamour for respect for the Charter of the United Nations has never been louder, we rightly expect those appeals to apply equally to all States Members of the United Nations. Today, regrettably, we are all aware of the consequences of support for Kosovo’s 2008 unilateral declaration of independence. We tried to warn about the negative effects of that move, which were bound to open a Pandora’s box in international relations.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“I want to remind the Council that as a percentage of the population, the largest number of foreign fighters in the world came from Kosovo, 350 in Syria and Iraq. Some 98 of them died for ISIS. Ninety-six of them remain. So yes, it is true that for Serbia, Kosovo is sui generis, as Jerusalem is sui generis for the Jews, Mecca is sui generis for Muslims and the Vatican is sui generis for Catholics. That is why I want to state clearly here at United Nations Headquarters that Serbia cannot and will never recognize Kosovo’s unilaterally declared independence or accept Kosovo becoming a member of the United Nations. I have also reiterated several times that Serbia wants peace. We want to talk and contribute to achieving the long-desired normalization of conditions and the peaceful coexistence of Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“And since 2021, Dečani has been on the list of the seven most endangered cultural monuments in Europe. They threw grenades at Dečani. They wrote Islamic State in Iraq and the Sham (ISIS) graffiti on churches. Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija do not respect the decisions of their courts with regard to church property. The head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Porfirije, was banned from entering and performing religious ceremonies in Kosovo. He was banned from entering the Patriarchate of Peć, which has been the seat of the Serbian Orthodox Church since the thirteenth century. And that is democracy. Those are human rights. Patriarch Porfirije was banned from entering Kosovo, but returnees of ISIS can enter freely.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“That is evidenced, among other things, by our historical, cultural and religious heritage, which we cannot and will not renounce. We have heard that when people want to justify the violation of international law regarding the recognition of the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo, they use the term sui generis as an alibi. It is true. It is true that for Serbia, Kosovo is sui generis. It is where Serbia was born. It is where the essence of Serbian history and orthodoxy lie. Four Serbian medieval churches on the UNESCO World Heritage List are located in Kosovo and Metohija — the Patriarchate of Peć from the thirteenth century, Our Lady of Ljeviška from 1307, Gračanica from 1321 and Visoki Dečani from 1335, all of which have been on the UNESCO list of endangered world heritage sites since 2006.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Not a single word is heard about their responsibility for the current security situation, nor about the failure to fulfil their obligations, such as the formation of the association of Serbian municipalities. I must once again clearly and unequivocally call for the unconditional and urgent formation of the association of Serbian municipalities in accordance with the Brussels Agreement. It is unacceptable that discussions on this important topic only start on 2 May, while simultaneously an action within the Council of Europe is being carried out that directly undermines this dialogue. This is the twenty-fifth time that I speak before the Council about how important Kosovo and Metohija are for the Serbian people. The Serbian people have lived in Kosovo and Metohija for centuries and they will continue to do so.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“We must sincerely dedicate ourselves to dialogue, but I am unfortunately convinced that on this occasion too, in the statement by the representative of Pristina, we will hear a series of accusations against Serbia regarding the apparently different interpretations of the Ohrid Framework Agreement, and the focus will be on the consequences of the conflict in Kosovo and Metohija. On this occasion, Serbian responsibility will be invoked, and Serbia will be portrayed as someone else’s instrument. It is interesting that the representatives of Pristina talk so lightly about patronage, but emphasize the sole responsibility of Serbia and Belgrade. What they ignore is the loudness that their silence leaves.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“From my presentation so far, you have had the opportunity to hear only part of the problem and the unstable security situation in Kosovo and Metohija, through which the other side is deliberately preventing us from focusing our full attention on finding a compromise. A year is too much, let alone 10 years, for the fulfilment of assumed obligations. We must not neglect these obligations, because in this way we will completely let down the people living in Kosovo and Metohija.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Such a move is in complete contradiction not only of resolution 1244 (1999), but also of the relevant resolutions of the General Assembly concerning the peaceful settlement of the Malvinas Islands dispute. Serbia’s strategic commitment is full membership in the European Union. We share and promote European values and advocate consistent compliance with the basic norms of international law, respecting the fundamental principles on which the United Nations was founded. In this sense, we are committed to the process of finding a sustainable solution in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, which we consider to be of strategic interest for the entire region, Europe and the broader geopolitical picture.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Therefore, we are very surprised that, contrary to international law and despite the warnings of the United Nations, the European Union and NATO, the transformation process of the so-called “Kosovo Security Forces” into the army continued. I remind the Council that, according to resolution 1244 (1999) and the Military Technical Agreement, only and exclusively the International Security Force (KFOR) have a mandate for all military aspects of security. How, if not as a threat, should we interpret the creation of strongholds and bases close to the administrative line on the territory in which exclusively Serbs live? Of particular concern is the implementation of the arrangement on the inclusion of members of the so- called “Kosovo Security Forces” to the infantry troops of the armed forces of the United Kingdom in the Malvinas Islands.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“During this year, five such illegal incursions have already been registered. These kinds of incidents can cause a spiral of violence that is difficult to control. I would like to take the opportunity to point out another negative course of action by the current Pristina leadership: the instrumentalization of the so- called representatives of special units and the police in fuelling inter-ethnic tensions. There are many examples, and it was the representative of the so-called “Kosovo Security Forces” who participated in the aforementioned attack on Serbian children during the celebration of a religious holiday.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Owing to the extremely deteriorated security situation in the Province at the end of last year, Serbia, fully in accordance with resolution 1244 (1999), sent a request, which was not accepted, for the return of up to 1,000 members of the Serbian security forces to Kosovo and Metohija. So there would not be any dilemma, this is in accordance with resolution 1244 (1999), which the Council adopted. We insist that Kosovo Force (KFOR) invest additional efforts in ensuring the right to life and security of the Serbian community in Kosovo and Metohija. During the last year, in the north of Kosovo and Metohija, in the municipalities with a majority Serb community, the so-called special units of the Regional Operations Support Unit made incursions as many as 12 times without the consent of KFOR and four mayors of the municipalities.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“If the absence of reaction means approval, then one justifiably gets the impression that the destructiveness of the current Pristina leadership in putting pressure on non-Albanian communities in Kosovo and Metohija is being legitimized and rewarded. This has special anti-democratic effects on the representatives of the Serbian List, the legitimate representatives of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija. Compared to the large numbers from the Kosovo security forces, who were released after only three months, the Vice-President of the Serbian List, Bratislav Nikolic, and four Serbs from Srpska have been imprisoned for 18 months now because of politically inspired accusations.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“The current Albanian leadership does not even care about the statutes, let alone the common values of the institutions, the memberships of which it wants to use to fulfil its own, mundane political goals. Pristina obviously believes that their precedent exceeds any right, and that their every move will still be met with understanding. That may be true, because the visa liberalization with the European Union they received does not include Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija — that is to say, Serbs are being discriminated against, compared to Albanians. All the mechanisms to prematurely strengthen Pristina’s capacities only further aggravate and disenfranchise the Serbian community.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Naturally, only 13 persons of Serbian nationality voted in those elections, out of a total of 45,095 people. Does it seem normal or legal, not to mention just, that barely 2 per cent of the population — the 1,500 Albanians who voted, out of 45,000 people — decide the fate of 98 per cent of people, at a time of pronounced inter-ethnic tensions? And all of this is happening at a time when the issue of Pristina’s membership in the Council of Europe is being forcibly considered. This blackmail and political manoeuvre aimed at delaying the formation of the association of Serbian municipalities for a full 10 years must be clearly and widely condemned.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Serbia is completely against the violent and illegal holding of extraordinary elections, because the motive for such a decision by the current leadership of Pristina is completely clear to us: it is a clear attempt to forcibly take away the rights and competencies of the Serbian community and establish full control. It is obvious that such a step has the support of some of the powerful minority, because recognizing the results of these extraordinary elections represents a type of defeat of democracy — that is, it represents the occupation of the north of Kosovo and Metohija. I would like to remind the Council that the elections were held violently, with great pressure, in containers secured by the same persons who shoot at Serbs and other non-Albanians.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“I would like to remind the Council that during the last year, the basic democratic rights of Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija were violated twice: when they were prevented from voting in the referendum and when, for the first time, voting was not carried out in the elections on 3 April, which is in direct contradiction of resolution 1244 (1999) and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe decisions. Paradoxically, the current Pristina leadership insisted on the recent holding of special elections in four municipalities with a Serbian majority population.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Resigned to the current state of democracy in Kosovo and Metohija, the legitimately elected representatives of the Serbs stepped out of political life, insisting on the fulfilment of well-known conditions: first, as was clearly supported here, the establishment of the association of Serbian municipalities, which is an international obligation for Pristina and was mentioned by this organ 10 years ago; the provision of the freedom of movement for Serbs; and the withdrawal of illegally deployed Albanian police forces from the north of Kosovo and Metohija. All that was stipulated in the Brussels Agreement. Belgrade supported this type of peaceful protest and considers the demands of the Serbian community logical and legitimate.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“The wounding of the 11-year-old boy Stefan Stojanović and his 21-one-year old cousin Miloš Stojanović, whose sin was celebrating Orthodox Christmas and going to the forest to collect the holy Christmas tree, raises the question of the kind of message we are sending to the remaining Serbian population in Kosovo and Metohija. What opportunities have we created for the return of 200,000 Serbs who were exiled from Kosovo? What are the prospects for the remaining non-Albanian communities?”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“In the twenty-first century, we are witnessing the erasure of history, the destruction of certain buildings of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the desecration of Orthodox cemeteries and the denial of the right to the freedom of religion. Citizens cannot even visit cemeteries holding their ancestors. Is that the principle of the self-determination of some at the expense of eliminating others? Pristina’s goal and intention to erase the traces of everything Serbian in Kosovo and Metohija is also evident in this action. Let us add to that the current trend of frequent ethnically motivated attacks on religious holidays.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Is that information the result of the democratic development of Pristina and its contribution to the peaceful coexistence of Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija? Does the Council really think that this issue should no longer me mentioned? That those who were expelled should forever remain so? Or does resolution 1244 (1999) — a resolution of this body — say otherwise? We have also witnessed that Serbian Orthodox spiritual heritage in Kosovo and Metohija is subject to attacks by Kosovo Albanians on two grounds. They attribute that heritage as being part of medieval Albanian objects, or falsely present it as Byzantine or Illyrian.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“What words would members use to describe that phenomenon, according to which systematic work is being done to eliminate all Serbs while taking away all their rights? Is there support for such destructive actions, and who provides it? It is devastating that, 24 years since resolution 1244 (1999) was adopted, the report still states the figure of 200,000 displaced people from Kosovo and Metohija. Returns are at such a low level — the report we are currently considering records 112 voluntary returns, of which 60 were Kosovo Serbs — that at this rate we will need centuries for all exiles to return to their homes. Members heard me right: centuries. The return rate, which is still less than 2 per cent — 1.9 per cent, to be exact— is the lowest percentage of returnees in post-conflict areas in the world.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“In order to continue the comprehensive social and economic progress of Serbian communities, the Government of Serbia, through a special investment programme, will accelerate infrastructure development and increase financial support measures for the economy, farmers, youth and socially vulnerable categories. The harsh truth is that, in the past 20 years, Kosovo and Metohija has turned from a multi-ethnic environment into an almost ethnically pure territory. I will repeat the information that more than 40,000 Serbs once lived in Pristina, while today there are fewer than 100 of them. In the ancient imperial city of Prizren, where I was born and which today I need permission to visit, there used to be more than 10,000 Serbs, while today there are only about 20 left, and so on and so on.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“And as members know, the establishment of the association of Serbian municipalities is the first, and necessary, condition for the further implementation of the agreements reached in Brussels and Ohrid. In other words, it is necessary to ensure a dignified and normal life for all people living in Kosovo and Metohija. I would like to emphasize that the Republic of Serbia will take all legal, political and economic measures to protect the lives and basic human and political rights of Serbs and other non-Albanian populations in Kosovo and Metohija.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“We are aware that Pristina is deliberately avoiding that obligation. It is devastating that they only started talking about this important topic on 2 May, even though it is recognized as a key and first step in the implementation of the European plan by none other than the EU’s High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Josep Borrell Fontelles, who told the entire European community that the association of Serbian municipalities must be formed now. Considering everything that has been done so far, we are certain that Kurti will never fulfil the obligation to form the association of Serbian municipalities, because peace and the success of the dialogue are not his goal; his goal is to expel all Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“In this very Chamber 10 years ago, on 14 June 2013, a meeting of the Security Council was held following the signing of the Brussels Agreement, where it was assessed as a document of historical importance. Former Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon stated in his report (S/2013/254) that the Agreement provided for the establishment of an association of Serbian municipalities with a statute and a range of competencies. The Permanent Representative at the United States Permanent Mission at the time, Susan Rice, stated that the Agreement reaffirmed far- reaching municipal self-governance for ethnic Serbs in the north. French Ambassador Briens said that Kosovo must provide a future community of majority-Serb areas with substantive autonomy. And what happened in those 10 years? Nothing.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“On the other hand, as the Secretary-General’s report itself partially shows, there is still an atmosphere of fear, uncertainty and pressure towards Serbs and other non-Albanian communities on the ground. First of all, it is necessary that all previous agreements — starting with the First Agreement of Principles Governing the Normalization of Relations, which I signed 10 years ago together with Catherine Ashton and Hashim Thaçi — be consistently and completely implemented. It is necessary to establish the association of Serbian municipalities as soon as possible, because that is the only possible mechanism for protecting the rights and security of the Serbian community in Kosovo and Metohija.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“At the same time, in accordance with the resolution, we call for the undiminished presence and action of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) in an unchanged capacity, full scope and mandate. Resolution 1244 (1999), as the Council enacted it in 1999, is still in force. Either the Council cancels it, or it respects it. And if it does not respect it, then there is a question of whether the United Nations even any longer exists. The dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina is at a very complex and politically important, and perhaps decisive, moment. On the one hand, with the agreements arrived at in Brussels on 27 February and in Ohrid on 28 March, with the mediation of the European Union (EU), we managed to preserve the momentum in the attempts to normalize relations.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Throughout history, it has been shown that such exceptions create precedents, and precedents greatly influence existing rules and interpretations of norms of international law. It is clear that there are double standards that lead us to different interpretations of the universal principles of respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of every State Member of the United Nations. Apparently, that does not apply to Serbia. That is why it is my duty to call for consistent application of the valid — I repeat, valid — resolution 1244 (1999), which unfortunately has not been consistently or fully implemented to this day.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Therefore, continuing to consider the report of the Secretary- General’s in an open format is of key importance to better describe the complex and disturbing situation in the area of Kosovo and Metohija to the entire membership of the United Nations and to the general public. I speak to the Council at a time when calls for respect for the Charter of the United Nations have never been heard louder in this organ. It is exactly those appeals that the Republic of Serbia has been making continuously for the past 24 years, but with one small and significant difference — we are led by a powerful minority to believe that the example of Kosovo and Metohija is so- called sui generis.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Mr. Dačić (Serbia) (spoke in Serbian; English interpretation provided by the delegation): As always, I am honoured to be here today. I am convinced that the efforts of the Special Representative of the Secretary- General, Ms. Ziadеh, have constructive intentions, and we appreciate her desire and commitment. However, the fact is that the report (S/2023/247) we are considering today is not, and will never be, sufficient for a comprehensive and essential understanding of all the implications of security and other challenges in Kosovo and Metohija on regional and global flows.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“I take this opportunity to call also on the countries that have recognized the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo to reconsider their decision against the background of all- important facts.”
2016-08-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.7760 (2016) · source