YouSaid · the spoken record

Gërvalla-Schwarz

lines on the record: 84
first: 2022-04-20
most recent: 2023-04-27
sittings or episodes: 3
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

“We cannot choose our neighbours. We will continue the discussions. Whether with the current Serbian political elite or with others, we will normalize our relationship — because there is no other alternative. To conclude, I understand the frustration. I understand all the efforts to use history to excuse genocide. But as a true European, I am not ready to accept any of these backward-looking arguments. I hope that in Belgrade and the Serbian Government reasonable people will prevail and find a way to deal with people like Mr. Dačić and Mr. Vučić, who represent Serbia’s past and not its future. I could continue into the night discussing Mr. Dačić’s lies, but I want to spare this body this kind of discussion. And so that is all I have to say.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“It is not a dialogue about the status of Kosovo, because that is a done deal recognized by more than 115 Members of the United Nations. But it is a discussion — negotiations — in Brussels about the status and normalization of our relations. We made progress last month where we though that Serbia had committed to and accepted the European proposal, which has the support of the European Union and the United States. Hearing Mr. Dačić today, and in recent days his President, I sincerely wonder whether we really had an agreement at Ohrid or not. As we understand it, we have an agreement and will be very committed to implement what we promised to do at the two meetings, in Brussels and Ohrid. Meanwhile, I have doubts in hearing all those statements, which are made more for domestic public consumption than for this body. But it is as it is.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“It is true that at the moment President Thaçi is at The Hague, where I strongly believe that he will show that the Kosovo Liberation Army, himself and others who are being accused have all the arguments on their side to show that they are innocent of the accusations. What Mr. Dačić said about me being a witness at The Hague merits no comment. It is simply not true. He would be well advised to read a little deeper than just the headlines; it really would be very worthwhile. Kosovo is today an independent State. It is a sovereign, democratic State — one of the six countries in the Western Balkans. That means that, as a sovereign, democratic State, we are discussing with a very problematic neighbour the normalization of our relations.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“The terrorists were the ones who burned down villages, slaughtered thousands of people, from babies to the elderly, and brutally raped women and girls. They denied everything and even celebrated it; they celebrated genocide. And he was in the middle of them. People cannot sink lower than that, whether in Serbia, Russia or elsewhere. The people of Kosovo who defended their families, villages and fellow citizens were not the terrorists. It was the Serbian forces who were the terrorists, sponsored by their State. Unfortunately, the United Nations blockade imposed by Russia hindered their defeat. But it was only through the courage and civility of United Nations Members, as well as the bravery of our own men and women, that we were able to prevail.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“If he tries to put me in connection with the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, let me just tell him that it is different from anything in Serbia. He is talking about the special court set up by the Kosovo Parliament — because we are not the Serbia of Dačić, Vučić and Milošević. It was a sovereign and independent decision to investigate possible crimes and offences committed between 1998 and 2000. In that regard, it is important to acknowledge the heroic efforts of the people of Kosovo, who saved tens of thousands of lives from the merciless Serbian war machine. He was part of that. Our Government, our State and our citizens acknowledge the brave efforts and adore the brave Kosovo Liberation Army, which took a stand against genocide.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“My father, who was a writer and journalist, was murdered — assassinated by the Serbian-dominated UDBA. And this is a fact. There are facts and there are lies. The fact is that the former UDBA was a Serbia-dominated secret service that assassinated my father because he wanted the independence of Kosovo. The independence of Kosovo is so difficult for Mr. Dačić to accept that he would rather accept the assassination of a journalist for wanting to peacefully get through his written text on the independence of Kosovo. This shows that Mr. Dačić is old Serbia, not new Serbia. He is Milošević Serbia. And it is the other Serbia that the Europe and the region needs. So with him, Serbia knows that there is no way to Europe or to a better future for his citizens.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Ms. Gërvalla-Schwarz: Mr. Dačić has just shown today why people in Serbia in the 1990s called him “little Sloba”, which means little Slobodan Milošević, after his boss and hero. I do understand that he is angry, and I know this language. I have known it for a long time because it have spent more than just two, three or four years in European politics. But he needs to explain to his people at home what he has done and how, in 1999, he lost Kosovo forever, instead of using that old rhetoric from the 1980s and the 1990s. I think that people in Serbia do not deserve that. I know that the truth hurts. He can take citations from the year 1000 or 1500. But the truth hurts. I am very sorry for him because he is our neighbour, and we need to deal with him. Talking about my father makes it even clearer how Mr. Dačić personally thinks.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Serbia is blocking progress in that regard, too. Today marks the anniversary of an unspeakable mass murder. On this day exactly 24 years ago — 27 April 1999 — in a Catholic village in Kosovo, at least 377 children, women and men were barbarically killed by Serbian police and military personnel. The village was attacked with grenade launchers and houses were set on fire in a barbaric act of annihilation. Not only in Kosovo but elsewhere, every child knows that Vučić, Dačić and others in the leadership of Serbia are political accomplices and responsible for those and other terrible massacres. As a State, Kosovo will investigate and address such crimes as a legal obligation, and the rule of law will hold accountable those responsible for the war, genocide and all crimes committed. It may take time, but justice will prevail.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Every year, we remember the more than 1,600 people who were presumably abducted, killed and buried by the Serbian military and militias. A refusal to show respect for the dead and their families or to provide the International Committee of the Red Cross with locations, a boycott of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the denial of the chance for families to mourn and find closure are all elements of the face of Serbian extremism. Serbia has appointed Veljko Odalović, who is responsible for war crimes in Kosovo, as the representative of its national commission on this sensitive issue. It is hard to imagine a more contemptuous and cynical choice. Kosovo has offered to search every square metre of its territory for possible missing persons, using the latest and most effective technologies.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“The citizens of Serbia can take their destiny into their own hands. They can vote out racism, hate and incitement and investigate the terrible crimes of the past and bring the perpetrators to justice. They can extend a hand to all their neighbours, not just Kosovo, for peaceful coexistence and eventually cooperation. All of that is possible. A country can make a new decision. Kosovo and others have shown that it can be done. We remain vigilant, cautious and sceptical, but open to serious reconciliation that does not betray justice. We want to work with all of Kosovo’s neighbours — including our difficult neighbour to the north — wherever possible, for the sake of the region’s future and for the sake of our children and grandchildren. Today is our national day of missing persons, a tribute to those who were forcibly disappeared in Kosovo.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“From 1992 until 2000, Dačić was the right-hand man of the butcher of the Balkans, Slobodan Milošević. He celebrated him as a hero and became his successor. He and Vučić were Milošević’s closest allies. They are accomplices in genocide. Yet here we are, sitting across from him. We will negotiate with him and his accomplice, Vučić. We will negotiate because it is we who want to preserve peace and achieve a lasting solution to the conflict. We, the victims of genocide and brutality, are honourable and wish to establish peace not only for us but for the region. We are the people of Kosovo. We know that there is also a better Serbia — a Serbia that is still weak, but European, and a Serbia that wants to stop being a threat to its neighbours. We are waiting for that Serbia and hope that it comes as soon as possible.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“The right-hand man of the so-called butcher of the Balkans — the war criminal Milošević, who was responsible for Serbian wars and genocides in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Kosovo — is the man who just spoke before me. He has endless blood on his hands, as does his President. Not a word of regret has been uttered. Instead, there is contempt for the victims, twisting of the truth and celebration of mass murderers. The facade of a sometime-singing politician does not change historical truth. I will say it in Albanian and as a single sentence in the Serbian language, too. Ivica Dačić, now Serbia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, is responsible for mass murder, rape as a weapon of war and war crimes, and he should be brought before a war crimes tribunal.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Vučić and Dačić want the EU’s billions, but they do not want to accept the EU’s values, the rule of law or free media at any price. That would endanger their power and control. Vučić and Dačić want a European order led by Moscow. However, such an order cannot and will not exist. The EU, NATO and the United Nations cannot and will not allow an order in which war, invasion and violence become politics. Unfortunately, Serbia has not learned the lessons of history. Those responsible for genocide are still in power in the Serbian Government. The current Serbian President, Aleksandar Vučić, was Minister of Propaganda for the war criminal Milošević during the genocide against Kosovo. To some extent, he is still acting more like a propaganda minister than a President.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“We are immensely grateful for that and are committed to doing everything in our power to ensure that Kosovo, as has been aptly said, takes its rightful place at the international table of nations. The Serbia of Vučić and Dačić is not Europe. It looks eastward, to the relics of past Powers. It consistently betrays the agreements signed with the West. Just this week, Vučić has again defamed European representatives as liars and cheats, as Westerners. He even claimed to disagree with almost everything in the interim results of the dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo. It is also apparent that Serbia does not want an agreement through the dialogue. On the contrary, it wants to obstruct any agreement. That is because the Serbia of 2023 no longer wants to join the European Union.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“International companies are exploring opportunities for investment, and many have already invested or are on their way to doing so. We therefore also have reason to be optimistic in that area. Guests from all over the world accepted our President’s invitation to a global conference on women and peace and security, a successful premiere for our young country. We have worked hard and successfully to lift the restrictions on visa-free travel from the EU by the end of this year. Despite significant opposition from Serbia, we achieved a major victory by securing a large majority in the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe agreed on opening the doors for the Republic of Kosovo to become a member.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Based on every metric used to measure democracy, Kosovo is the most democratic country in the Balkans, as we have shown time and again. Meanwhile, based on the same metrics, Serbia is no longer even recognized as a democratic country. The future of Kosovo lies in Europe and the West because Kosovo is part of the West. We are well integrated into the region, having signed dozens of bilateral agreements to strengthen regional cooperation in many areas. Kosovo has never previously had the number of foreign representatives and high-level officials from all over the world that it has welcomed in the past two years, including from countries that have not recognized us. Kosovo has seen a significant increase in foreign investment, as well as tax revenues and growth, with a 10 per cent increase in 2021.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Kosovo has significantly strengthened its path towards European integration. We are strengthening the rule of law and combating corruption and crime more effectively than ever before. Kosovo is an example of what is possible when a country decides to clean up corruption and move with full force towards the rule of law and Europe. That is also why Kosovo is a provocation for the regime in Belgrade. Kosovo has fully demonstrated that it is possible to shake off corruption and choose new people and a new beginning over resignation. That is a direct threat to the Belgrade model of Government and concept of the rule of law. In the Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index, Kosovo has moved up 20 places in the past two years. That huge leap is a testament to our progress.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Kosovo is pleased and proud to belong to the family of countries that stand strongly for the Charter of the United Nations. In contrast, Serbia is increasing its dependence on Russia, most recently in an agreement signed by Lavrov and his Serbian counterpart that forces Serbia to coordinate its foreign policy with Russia — and not with the EU. Kosovo has learned the lessons of history. We echo these words in the Chamber and for the world to hear: never again. Never again will Kosovo be a defenceless victim of aggression and genocide. Never again will there be destruction. Never again will there be genocide by Serbia. Never again will we, together with our allies, stand defenceless. We have allies, and we are capable of defending our country and citizens against that aggression.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Kosovo received congratulations from all over the world — from Asia to Africa, Europe, and North and South America. In Pristina there was a grand, peaceful and impressive parade of our Kosovar defence forces and police on that day. The joy, optimism and composure with which people celebrated our fifteenth Independence Day on the streets were contagious. Equally impressive is the pride of our citizens for the Kosovo army, which is modern and becoming increasingly stronger and is internationally experienced. Kosovo is proud to say that, together with our partners and allies in NATO and the EU, we are now a guarantor of freedom and peace in the region. We are also committed to our goal of becoming more deeply and closely integrated into NATO, because that also serves our peace and our freedom.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Despite the military exercises by Serbia with Russia, which increased in number from about 10 to nearly 100 in 2021, despite the Russian military and spy bases near Kosovo disguised as humanitarian centres, despite the Serbian troops and fighter jets at our border and despite Vučić’s hybrid warfare against Kosovo — with propaganda campaigns in the media, alliances with organized crime and threats against the Serbian citizens of Kosovo who reject his line — it is clear to observers that without the presence of NATO and the United States, there could be war already. On 17 February, our Independence Day, the Republic of Kosovo celebrated its fifteenth anniversary of independence in perfect weather and great spirits. Of course, that was not mentioned either in the UNMIK report.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Vučić, Dačić, Šešelj and Vulin live in the dangerous world of Serbian supremacy. Serbia has decided on a “Serbian World” as a Government programme, a 2.0 version of Greater Serbia. It documents the pathology of a nationalist ideology that still seeks revenge for a defeat that occurred more than 500 years ago instead of looking towards the future. There are concrete and strategic reasons thar peace, development and prosperity can remain possible for the region and how conflict has been prevented. The reason lies in the presence of troops from the United States and NATO in the territory of the Republic of Kosovo. That alone holds back Russia and Serbia from completely escalating their aggression.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Serbia is therefore actively supporting the war and genocide against Ukraine. Serbia’s vote at the United Nations is worth nothing because Serbs are also helping Russia wage a barbaric war to destroy the existence of Ukraine. One can and will forget that Vučić and Dačić were enthusiastic supporters and accomplices of the first racial extermination wars since the Nazis, the Yugoslav- Serbian wars of the 1990s. Today Putin is waging a barbaric war based on racial grounds. That of course is a classic dirty move by Putin. Putin had already sent troops to Pristina in 1999, and even today he is sending troops — the brutal Wagner Group troops that were sent to Serbia and our borders. However, the UNMIK report says nothing about that. As Russia’s closest ally, Serbia is the biggest threat to peace in the Balkans.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Kosovo was one of those decisions — in which our allies stood up to end genocide as we now stand here for Ukraine. The EU rightly extends its solidarity with its European partner, Ukraine. Those who want to join the EU are particularly bound to the EU’s common line. Serbia claims to have EU aspirations and has committed to that in agreements with the EU. However, we know Serbia’s political games all too well. Vučić claims to be a European partner but has failed on the very agreements his country has signed. Instead of a common foreign policy with the EU, there is a common foreign policy with Russia. Instead of sanctions against the aggressor, Russia, Serbia actively makes itself available as a hub for Russia’s dirty businesses in the areas of the economy, the military and smuggling.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“That is true not only for the Berlin process but also for the EU’s Common Regional Market project, which promotes integration into the EU market, and it applies to the dialogue between the Republic of Kosovo and Serbia as well. Serbia has largely disregarded signed agreements from 2011, 2013 and 2015. Vučić and Dačić are the main culprits to that constant breach of contract. When we speak about or examine the Balkans or the destabilizing factors there, we cannot neglect the real threat posed to the region by Russia and Serbia. We have seen it before our very eyes. The Security Council has stood witness to the reality of Russia’s aggression against a peaceful neighbour. It has forced Europe and the world to make decisions — decisions to save lives and preserve humankind.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“That is uncivilized, outrageous and a sign of disrespect for the entire diplomatic community. The Serbian strategy is to block Balkan integration into Europe — and behind those attempts for power is Russia working via Serbia, its Balkan proxy. When dealing with people who engage in dishonest or unfair behaviour, it is important to take punitive action rather than negotiate with them. More and more voices in Europe, from Kosovo to the Netherlands and Germany, are now calling for sanctions against Serbia. Because you do not negotiate with cheaters — you have them face the consequences. EU integration will eventually move forward without Serbia.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“At the summit in Berlin, important agreements were signed, including on the mutual recognition of identity cards and professional and university degrees. Kosovo, Albania and North Macedonia have ratified the agreements, while Montenegro seems to be close to doing so. However, the countries in which Vučić and Dačić have influence are blocking the process. Let us also state that Serbian President Vučić signed the agreements himself — yet the propaganda continues. It is internationally known by friend and foe alike that when Kosovo promises something, it keeps its word. We have not backed out of one signed agreement. That is not the case for Vučić, Dačić and others. Their political DNA makes it impossible for them to keep their word. If promises and given signatures are not honoured, negotiations become a farce.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“While a variety of worthy United Nations organizations are doing indispensable work for peace and stability all over the world, UNMIK has become a destabilizing factor and does not serve stability or peace in the region. The report has also documented how dispensable it has become. That brings me to the real developments that can provide hope for the region and therefore for peace and stability. In the UNMIK report, the Berlin process, for example, appears only as a footnote. Neither the summit held in Berlin in November 2022 nor the summit held in Tirana — for the first time in the history of the Balkans — are mentioned in the report. However, the Berlin process is the most important, strategically European Union (EU)-oriented process for the entire region as an integral part of European efforts.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“The report (S/2023/247) on the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), Serbia’s aggressive behaviour and its threat to peace in the region, the alliance between Russia and Serbia around racism, as well as our young State’s accomplishments and its position in Europe and the world, will all be significant factors. We can summarize the current UNMIK report by saying that more than 90 of its approximately 100 points contain small, large or severe errors, and that important developments and events are completely missing. Such serious deficiencies are not new. UNMIK’s problems in our country and internationally have been known for many years.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“Ms. Gërvalla-Schwarz: After the usual tirade of slander and complaints, and all the propaganda and claims that Serbia is being treated unfairly, I want to make a few brief remarks and then move on to the truly important — indeed, the real — developments for the people of Kosovo and the region. Since instead of in English, Mr. Dačić spoke today in the language of the majority of his country, as his predecessors have done, I also wanted to communicate in Albanian, which is the language spoken by the majority in my country, the Republic of Kosovo. Unfortunately the Council’s presidency denied my request, so I will continue in English.”
2023-04-27 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9312 (2023) · source
“For all our citizens, the right to vote in Kosovo is a guaranteed right for every citizen of the Republic — without distinction as to Albanians, Serbs, Turks and Bosniaks. The citizens of Kosovo — all of them — most recently exercised their right to vote in the national elections held in February 2021 and the municipal elections held on 21 October. The right to vote in Kosovo is therefore a very respected one, and it is guaranteed by our Constitution for every citizen of Kosovo. Regarding everything else that has been insinuated about the about elections in Kosovo — I simply ask Council members to read the latest European Union progress report, in which they will see how free and democratic the elections are in Kosovo and how much we care about the right to vote. The meeting rose at 5.30 p.m.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“All they need to do is read the international reports, starting with the latest Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe report and the progress report of the European Union, and then continue reading what the international presence in Kosovo is reporting from the ground, because maybe I could be trying to fool the members of the Council — which I would never do because of the respect I have for this body — but I ask them to not to let others to fool them either. They should simply trust the sources they know will tell them the truth about the progress in Kosovo, as well as the problems, and about what has happened in the past, what is happening now and how the future can be. From our side, our aim is to provide a better future for our citizens.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“I could really take a lot of time to react to a lot of things that were stated, but I simply will not do that because I very much respect Council members’ time. I truly respect this body, which is dealing with war and peace, especially with its ongoing intensive efforts to end a war that is unjustified and very aggressive. I will therefore only make the following two points. It is difficult, as someone from Kosovo who understands both our history and the present, to sit here and listen about lies and truth. I would quite simply recommend to everyone who is not very convinced at today’s meeting not to listen to Mr. Selaković. They do not even need to listen to me, the Kosovar Foreign Minister.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“Ms. Gërvalla-Schwarz: I really did not want to bother the Security Council regarding these personal attacks, but I cannot ignore them. Mr. Selaković is not even capable of calling me by my name, which is not “Schwarz” — that is the name of my husband. My last name is Gërvalla, and there are good reasons why Mr. Selaković cannot articulate that name. Because it was Belgrade that chased my father to Germany — he was a journalist, writer and musician — and he was one of the three people Belgrade’s State security service killed behind our house. That is why it is so difficult for Mr. Selaković to say the name Gërvalla — or “Dërvalla” or however it could be spelled — because there is a big hole in the collective conscience of Serbia about that name.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“In that spirit, we are ready to engage with our friends, and even our foes, in order to help to make the world a better place.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“It is a miracle — a miracle of victory, humanity and civilization over cruelty and barbarians. That miracle continues, and we will make our people proud and our country shine. There is no other country that is more pro-EU or more pro-NATO than Kosovo. Between 88 per cent and 92 per cent of our citizens are in favour of the EU and NATO. Yes, we know that there is still much to do — we are far from being perfect — if we want to achieve our goals. However, we have proved that we can. We have overcome even the most severe difficulties and never lost faith. Our people are an example for the world. An example of resilience, dignity and openness, Kosovo is a great place and an asset to Europe and the world. We are glad and proud to have many friends all over the world. That is why our people are looking to the future, full of optimism and hope.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“With our courageous defenders, the Kosovo Liberation Army, and the help of NATO, which came to our rescue, the heroism of women, children and the elderly in those darkest times, we survived. We saw how they protected their children, families and loved ones, when brutal Serb forces burned down our villages, raped our women and tortured and killed our young men. We saw how they kept their dignity when they were forced to flee for their lives to the mountains. We saw how they never gave up when they were expelled and forced out of their country, in the hundreds of thousands, and forced to live in tents. It was that spirit that made the miracle possible: after the liberation of Kosovo, our people did not wait, but flooded home, searched for survivors, started to rebuild houses and property and restarted their life.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“Everyone already knows that Kosovo’s independence is a done deal. Finally, Serbia will also have to recognize reality. It will have to recognize Kosovo, as most of Serbia’s neighbours and so many others have already done. It is a question of mutual recognition. That is what President Biden said. That is what Chancellor Scholz and other European leaders say. We must talk about that reality. Kosovo is ready and prepared for a real dialogue. Kosovo is a small but very special country. We speak from a position of modesty and strength. We are a truly European country, with people of many backgrounds and unbreakable tolerance and pride. Kosovo is a country that literally emerged from genocide. Serbia and Milošević, together with Mr. Vučić and other aides, wanted to wipe us off the map.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“We gave that permission in the hope that, someday, the surely difficult but necessary exchange, addressing the severe issues that stand between the victims of violence and genocide and the Serbian Orthodox Church, might begin. Of course, there is no easy way to address responsibility for the past, but it remains an obligation for everyone to seek a way for truth and reconciliation, wherever possible. When we talk about dialogue, we mean real dialogue. A dialogue must have a goal. The goal cannot be empty talk. It was Kosovo that was the key to restarting the dialogue after years of interruption. It was Kosovo that came up with a series of concrete steps to resolve issues of mutual interest. Kosovo wants to have a real dialogue. However, in order to have a real dialogue, we must put the key question at its centre — mutual recognition.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“A few days ago, when the Head of the Serbian Orthodox Church asked to visit our country and meet the faithful, I, in my capacity as Foreign Minister, granted permission for the visit. This is just another example of our not being interested in tensions but in normal exchange, and of our respect for the followers of all religions in our country. We gave permission for the visit to take place despite the leading role of the politically powerful Serbian Orthodox Church in creating the ideology of Serb supremacy, its constant activities, role in destabilizing neighbouring countries and historic guilt in justifying and glorifying the brutal campaigns and genocide against Serbia’s neighbours, including the Republic of Kosovo.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“We in the West will have to reconsider what that means across all arenas of foreign policy. Fortunately, the situation in the Balkans and in Kosovo is different compared to the 1990s. We are better protected against an aggressive neighbour. In Kosovo, we feel threatened but safe. The recent deployment of additional United States troops to Kosovo was an important step towards strengthening peace and stability in the region. From my discussions, I know that it is not only Kosovo but also our neighbours who are very relieved and grateful for that important commitment by NATO and the United States. From a position of strength, we can talk and try to resolve the challenges and mitigate tensions.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“At that time, here in New York, Serbia signed an agreement on alignment of foreign policy with the exact aggressor of that war, Russia. Mr. Selaković, sitting in this Chamber today, was the signer for Serbia. Not only is this simply outrageous, but it is also a disgrace for Serbia. Nobody in this room could think that Mr. Putin would consult with his proxy Mr. Vučić about Russia’s foreign policy decisions; rather, it is the other way around. This agreement constitutes Serbia’s de facto submission to Kremlin rule, which in itself has tremendous repercussions. Since Serbia is dominated by Russia in its foreign policy, the EU, NATO and Kosovo will have to take into account that no major foreign policy decision is made by Belgrade without asking Big Brother in Moscow for permission. Serbia made itself a Russian asset.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“A Serbian non-governmental organization criticized this document as a “recipe for war”. A prominent supporter of this proposal is the former Serbian Foreign Minister and a past President of the General Assembly, Mr. Vuk Jeremić, who was once, years ago, considered to be a moderate modern politician. The most recent measure is Serbia’s foreign policy alignment with Russia. Serbia has undertaken this shift since the full Russian invasion of Ukraine, just as Russia is committing the worst atrocities imaginable. When all of us were in New York only a few weeks ago, for the high-level week at the General Assembly, we saw the President of Ukraine Zelenskyy get a standing ovation for his powerful statement to the United Nations and for defending core principles of the United Nations against an evil aggressor (see A/77/PV.7).”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“Vučić stepped up his aggressive rhetoric inside Serbia, but he has also been engaging in the largest systematic military buildup since the end of Yugoslavia in 1991. From just 10 military exercises with Russia in 2012, when Vučić took over, Serbia has taken part in roughly 100 joint military exercises with Russia in 2021 alone. Russian military personnel are even working directly in the Serbian Ministry of Defence. With the support and at the direction of Russia, Serbia has become the second most dangerous threat to European security, after Russia itself. Just recently more than 40 members of the Serbian parliament signed an amendment that calls for the “reintegration” of Kosovo into Serbia. That sounds dangerously similar to the Russian concept of reintegration of Ukraine into Russia.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“That is how Serbia, with the support of imperial Russia, has come to be a threat again. Vučić is preparing for aggression, militarily and ideologically, just as Putin has done. I urge the Security Council to see this parallel and take active measures. In line with this nationalist agenda, Mr. Vučić — together with, as we hear, his Foreign Minister — constantly claims that Serbs are under threat. He does not even shy away from open lies, such as the idea that Serbian citizens of Kosovo would be victims of pogroms. The world knows who the perpetrator of genocide in our region was. Milošević went down that path. Back then, the United Nations ignored Milošević’s hate propaganda, as he prepared for years to trigger the first catastrophic war in Europe since the end of the Second World War. Not only has Mr.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“This ideology is a recycled version of the “Greater Serbia” ideology, which was the ideological basis for the wars and genocide that Milošević’s Serbia waged against four countries in the 1990s. The ghosts of the past are returning. Civil society and non-governmental organizations in Serbia are warning the international community that the ideology of “Serb World” could lead to conflict and war in the Balkans once again. How such an aggressive ideology can end up is being demonstrated today by Russia, which banked on the ideology of the so-called “Russian World”. Aggressive nationalism in Serbia has been in the making for many years. More than a decade of relentless nationalist and racist campaigns by Vučić and others have emboldened the supporters of Serb supremacy.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“Vučić had been Propaganda Minister for former Serb President — and war criminal — Slobodan Milošević, and this during the Serb genocide in Kosovo, and that Mr. Vučić never apologized for that. Instead, he continues to celebrate war criminals as heroes. Mr. Vučić is also notorious for his statements on the Serb genocide in Bosnia. In 1995, when thousands of civilians in Srebrenica came under fire and shelling by Serb military, the United Nations considered sending military defence for these innocent civilians. It was then that Mr. Vučić said in the parliament of Serbia “ForeverySerbkilled,wewillkilla hundred Muslims”. This “Serb supremacy” is a threat to peace. Mr. Vučić is promoting the racist ideology of “Serb World”. He even made it an official Government doctrine.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“After more than 10 years, therefore, citizens of Kosovo can finally travel in Serbia with their identity cards, as they do when they travel through neighbouring countries, such as Albania, North Macedonia and Montenegro. The threat to stability and peace came from one side — there is no place for “both-sides-ism” in this context — and that side is Belgrade. Kosovo has not provoked or threatened anyone. Kosovo only insisted that Serbia, after more than 10 years, rightfully stick to an agreement it had signed. In order to understand current and future threats, it is necessary to know the background. Why is it that Vučić is talking war? Where does that come from? A European colleague of mine was quite surprised when he learned recently that Mr.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“But for another 10 years Serbia breached its commitments, as has always done. When our Government asked Serbia to finally stop preventing our freedom of movement, Mr. Vučić refused. He therefore forced us to enact reciprocity on the issue of licence plates. Reciprocity is not aggression. It is a best international practice, as everyone in this Chamber knows. The way Mr. Vučić can be motivated to take a different approach is seen in the issue of identity cards. Again, Serbia had agreed in 2011 to freedom of movement, and, as always, it breached that agreement for more than 10 years. When Kosovo announced that it would also implement reciprocity with respect to identity cards, Mr. Vučić threatened us with violence again, leading NATO and the European Union (EU) to intervene to prevent violence.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“We urge the Security Council and the international community to urge Serbia to stop its dangerous course of again trying to instigate disruption and violence at the end of this month. We are grateful that the Kosovo Force (KFOR), NATO, the United States of America and other allies are ready to help our country to mitigate the tensions instigated by Serb extremists and Mr. Vučić, as they did in 2021 and again in 2022. It was NATO Secretary- General Stoltenberg who stopped Mr. Vučić from further escalating the situation by making it clear that “should stability be jeopardized, KFOR stands ready to intervene”. Our courageous Kosovo police and law enforcement, with the help of KFOR, successfully managed the crisis. The decisions of our Government are long overdue. Already in 2011, in Brussels, Serbia had agreed to freedom of movement.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“Already 90 per cent of the respective car owners have replaced their illegal licence plates with legal ones. There is a minority of about 10 per cent left, who still have two weeks remaining to register. It is quite simple: if one owns a car, one has to have insurance and a legal licence plate. Otherwise, one’s car is not allowed on public or private streets. Extremist Serbs are brutally chasing and intimidating law-abiding fellow citizens, even burning the cars of Serb citizens of Kosovo who have already changed the licence plates. It is a huge mistake for the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo to suppress those facts, thereby not helping citizens against extremists. Surely the topic of car licence plates is not at all a matter for any foreign interference from the neighbourhood in such technical regulations.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source