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 have reason to be optimistic that Kosovo is on its way to becoming the next member of the Council of Europe, which will further strengthen the rule of law in our country. Being encouraged by the highly positive response by many countries of the European Union (EU), Kosovo will apply for EU membership this year. We also aspire to become a member of NATO as soon as possible. Following that short overview, I must address some serious threats to stability and peace in our region. The most imminent threat is the escalation that the Serbian President, Mr. Vučić, is threatening against our Republic at the end of October. At the end of this month, the transition period for replacing illegal licence plates with legal ones will come to an end.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“This year the growth was again significant, until the Russian aggression against Ukraine caused disruption and an energy and food crisis for many people in Europe and beyond. But we are optimistic that we will also meet those challenges, together with the most optimistic and most resilient people in the region. Our hard fight for the rule of law is being acknowledged, and Kosovo jumped up 17 positions in the Transparency International ranking. The World Justice Project ranked Kosovo first in the Western Balkans with regard to the rule of law. Kosovo has made significant progress in international relations. Among other things, we signed more than a dozen important agreements with neighbouring and other countries.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“Ms. Gërvalla-Schwarz (spoke in French): I thank you, Mr. President, for the invitation. (spoke in English) As Foreign Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, I appreciate the opportunity to once again discuss the current situation in our region and the opportunities, as well as the challenges. The Republic of Kosovo is the youngest democracy in Europe and the country with the youngest population. Our country is very much on the right track despite all the difficulties. Last year Kosovo registered economic growth of more than 10 per cent, a record increase in foreign direct investments and a record increase in tax revenue so that our Government could set up programmes for economic growth, invest in crucial areas and assist people in need.”
2022-10-18 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9155 (2022) · source
“I want to repeat that Kosovo is very committed to contributing constructively not only to the dialogue with our northern neighbour, under the facilitation of the European Union and with the help of other partners and allies, but also, at the same time, to providing a contribution for peace and stability in the world and showing that we are a reliable partner and ally for all those who believe in us. The meeting rose at 5.45 p.m.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“Talking only about the past makes one look bad. That is why we try to talk about the present and the future. There are others talking about and acting against neighbours to change borders in the Balkans and elsewhere. We have Vladimir Putin talking about changing borders through war, and we have ministers in the Government of Aleksandar Vučić who talk about Serbia. Having members of Government who use the terminology of the 1990s and of Slobodan Milošević now in these very fragile times is not how we should behave.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“Every one of us knows that. Members know that. I know that. Those respected people know that. With regard to the President who was mentioned, and it is an old thing from October last year — yes, I have a President. My President attended last year’s meeting in October (see S./PV.8880). We are very proud to have a President. Her name is Ms. Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu. She is one of the youngest Presidents in the world. She is a highly respected woman who has a long experience in politics in Kosovo. Through her courage, she has shown how the future of the Balkans in the European Union can be. I will conclude with greater countries in the Balkans. Always stating something that Prime Minister Kurti mentioned in the past will not help the present or the future, because talking about the past is not a fair game with Serbia.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“It was by the then-called Uprava državne bezbednosti, or State Security Administration, now called the State Security, that he was assassinated in Germany at the age of 36 because of his standing up for the freedom of Kosovo. It is the same service that assassinated more than 59 Croat dissidents in Germany. There is a long tradition in having that service assassinate people outside the country. That is an old experience. Regarding what Mr. Marty told us, he is not a friend of Kosovo. He has never been, and will never be, a friend of Kosovo, because the court will prove that what he stated in the report is not true. Even mentioning that Dick Marty is a friend of Serbia, and it has been difficult for him to tell the public that it was Serbia that wanted to kill him and to blame Kosovo for that, that is a long tradition.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“They should guarantee their most adversarial opposition who is directed by a hostile foreign country a seat at their Government’s table. That is obviously a rhetorical request. Each country has to decide on its own. But the following remark is on a serious note. We are not only a small, but also a proud country. We are also one of the most tolerant countries with regard to religion and respect for others. That is our tradition and our DNA. Speaking again about Dick Marty, I must share a very private experience. I was aged 10 when my father, being a journalist, writer and musician, needed to leave Kosovo. He escaped the former Yugoslavia to go to Germany.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“His hard-core fan sits with me and the others at the table in Cabinet meetings. Can one just imagine that in any other country in the neighbourhood? I therefore have a clear message to the Serb propagandists: stop those lies; simply stop those lies. Nobody, not the people sitting here or others outside, takes those lies seriously. One should follow the example of Kosovo before criticizing. I have an invitation to all who would criticize without knowing the facts. We invite everyone who criticizes such provisions, saying that it is not enough to first implement half of those guarantees in their own countries — only half, maybe even only a third. They should try to do that. I ask that they provide the equivalent of 20 out of 120 seats for minorities in their Parliaments.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“Let me describe an example of one specific practical impact of our protection rights. The constitutional provision led to the result that our coalition, which won more than 50 per cent of the vote in the last election, did not get a majority of seats in Parliament. Even if we had won the majority of seats, our Constitution requires that the Government of the Republic of Kosovo include ministers from the minorities, regardless of the election outcome. We have a follower, a supporter, of Mr. Vučić from Serbia in our Government. The scale of minority protection is not found in any other country in Europe or beyond. Our country was born out of genocide, as I said. Mr. Vučić was part of the system of Milošević, and he propagated that genocide as a heroic act. He has never apologized, but just recently threatened Kosovo again and again.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“Ms. Gërvalla-Schwarz: I really tried to skip this, but it is not possible, because we need to put facts up against lies. The protection of minorities in Kosovo is stronger than in most countries in Europe and beyond. We have provisions in our Constitution, in our laws, in our administrative practice. Our army and our police are ethnically mixed because we wanted them to be, and, yes, we are proud of that. The Constitution of Kosovo guarantees 20 out of 120 seats for minorities exclusively, let alone the fact that they can compete for the other 100 seats as well. Half of the 20 reserved seats, that is, 10, are exclusively reserved for the second most numerous ethnic minority, the Serb minority. So, within the privileges for the minorities, there is a privilege again for the Serb minority.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“So we are on our way, doing the work we were elected to do, and we urge the Council very, very strongly — we know that the war in Ukraine is taking a lot of the time that it has to deal with other regions of the world, but this is happening now, not in 1999, in the Western Balkans — to please send the right messages to those who want to destabilize the region. The investment of the international community in peace and stability in the Balkans is too huge to just ignore what is happening now and what the signals are.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“The rights of Serbs are not in question. Rather, the issue is how to gain political influence, not recognize reality as it is and treat Kosovo as a country that does not really exist. But we do exist, and we will continue to exist, and every day we are gaining more and more international support. The Republic of Kosovo has shown and will continue to show that democracy and European values are the foundation of our country. So if one looks at the approval rates of various countries in the Western Balkans, it is clear that Kosovo has more than 90 per cent approval for the European Union and more than 90 per cent approval for NATO membership and NATO alignment.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“There is a long tradition — and a very dangerous one — of propaganda being used to create the false impression that people are in danger when they are in fact not and that they need the protection of third parties who do not in fact intend to protect them but are only trying implement their own strategic political vision. We are seeing this pattern being repeated in Ukraine, As the Serbian representative told us today, Serb citizens in Kosovo are not an issue because Serb they are protected under a very modern constitutional framework established in 2008. I am proud to say that we have the most modern Constitution in Europe with respect to giving minorities extraordinary rights, not only in terms of representation, but in terms of participation at every level of State Government and in every type of institution.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“As to the issue of organ trafficking, let me talk about the Swiss Senator Dick Marty, who prepared a report about war crimes that he accused Kosovar representatives of having committed during the war and thereafter. The same Mr. Dick Marty recently told the media that the Swiss police had approached him long ago to offer him the highest degree of security in Switzerland because a Serbian intelligence agency had wanted to assassinate him and put the blame on Kosovo. These are the words of the Swiss police. It is not Kosovo police making that claim.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“The Serbian Foreign Minister is trying not only to falsify the facts, but to do something very similar to what Slobodan Milošević did in the 1980s, which is how the war in the Balkans started. War started with the creation of a perception that Serb minorities were in danger and that they need Serbia to intervene with false propaganda and fabricated news. We know very well, and everybody knows, thanks to Serbian journalists who have written about it, that the story of the Panda Bar massacre in Peja in which for years and years it was claimed that KLA soldiers had killed Serb Kosovars was planned in Serbia and not in Kosovo, that in fact Serbs were hired to kill other Serbs to create the image of Serbs being in danger. The most important thing is that they know the truth in Belgrade, which is where the fiction was planned and executed.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“Sitting in this Chamber today and listening to the representative of Russia talk about the liberation of Kosovo, I cannot help but think of the brave people of Ukraine who are defending their country. Today, the Russians are using the same words about us that they have used about them. As witnesses to what is happening in Ukraine, I am very proud today to represent a country from which brave soldiers — women and men, members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) — defended their own people, their own homes and their own country. I am very proud of that, just as I would not be proud to represent Russia or Serbia today. That is on them; it is not on me. I do not have the power to decide what they do. I can decide what I do and how I represent myself and my country.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“It is a pity that the Serbia of today is incapable of distancing itself from the crimes that Milošević committed in Kosovo, but not only Kosovo; he started in Slovenia, moved to Croatia and then to Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in the end, he came to Kosovo. And, yes, NATO came to stop the genocide. From that multilateral engagement, a democratic and prosperous country was born. I understand perfectly well why Russia is so aggressive against Kosovo: it hates the success story that Kosovo represents in the world, namely, the success of a multilateral intervention. That is the story of Kosovo, which is the story of the democratic world intervening to end a genocide.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“Do they really believe the fake news that they are spreading, or is it just a political decision to use fake news to manipulate international public opinion? I am really not sure which is the case but hearing so much fake information and so many lies, all in a row, makes it difficult to take it seriously and continue this Council meeting without dismantling each and every one of them. I am not going to do that, because I am convinced Council members and others in the Chamber know very well what happened in the 1990s. That is one element of truth. There is no alternative truth to that, Mr. President. It is one truth, and one that everybody knows. We do not need to create new “facts” to establish the truth about the Butcher of the Balkans, because it is very clear that that was Slobodan Milošević.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“Ms. Gërvalla-Schwarz: I would now stress that the dialogue process is very important and re-emphasize that, in my earlier statement, I said that Kosovo was eager and willing for the dialogue process to make progress. I therefore invite Council members to consider whether it is possible to achieve progress in a process facilitated by Brussels in which the United States, United Kingdom, the European Union, States Members of the United Nations and others are playing an active role, which we very much welcome. Everybody in the Chamber today has witnessed how difficult the process has been and continues to be, and that has shown us what the dialogue process should not be in future. The Balkans are facing the enormous impact of cyberwar and fake news. I often ask myself if the ones organizing the fake news are themselves the first victims.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“The Republic of Kosovo as a sovereign country is here to stay. Recognizing that reality is a fundamental step towards a European future.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“The Republic of Kosovo is a peace-loving nation, the legality of whose independence has been confirmed by the International Court of Justice and recognized by the majority of the world, indeed the overwhelming majority of fellow peace-loving and democratic nations of the world. There is nothing to lose or fear by recognizing Kosovo. There is, however, plenty to gain: a more peaceful, stable and prosperous Europe, as well as a trusted and reliable ally. But Serbia has to make a decision now. It has to decide if it wants to be a part of the West or remain Russia’s proxy. After Ukraine, one thing is for sure: sitting in two chairs at the same time, aligning with both parties, is no longer an option; that time is over. Russian aggression has ended that era. There is nothing provisional about the Republic of Kosovo and its independence.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“Kosovo and other countries in the region need to protect themselves from the aggressive and dangerous threat of an autocratic Serbia. Fortunately, we have friends and allies that are standing by our side. Just as in the cold war, deterrence is working. Unfortunately, it is necessary that we rely on it in dealing with both Russia and Serbia in the Western Balkans. At the same time, the Republic of Kosovo is eager, willing and ready for dialogue. We want to move forward. For that to happen, however, Serbia needs to accept reality first. Without the fundamental recognition of reality, there can be no discussion, as we do not even have reality in common.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“If we do not close the Pandora’s box that has been opened by Putin, Vučić and Dodik, the Balkans might become a dark place again. When Vučić came into office, Serbia held just two military exercises with Putin’s Russia a year. Last year, however, they held more than a hundred. Serbia has received special donations — war planes — from Russia and Belarus. Serbia under Vučić has engaged in an unprecedented military build-up. The country is an army ready to attack, not to defend, which is a major concern for all the neighbours in the region. It is not only the equipment, but also the ideology as well as the media campaigns, that the world has to take seriously, as we and others in the region have warned for quite some time.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“The Russian ambassador to Serbia supported that war mongering and, in September, even visited the Serbian troops at the border at that time. Following the same logic, the Russian ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina also just threatened his host country with war. Recently, our ethnically diverse police teams have become the target of terrorist attacks, with an increase in shootings at police officers and their cars. We are lucky that no one has been hurt so far. Attacks are coming from Serbian territory and would be impossible if Mr. Vučić did not tolerate them. He and his allies are risking conflict in the Balkans, from Kosovo to Bosnia and Herzegovina to Montenegro. Serbia and Russia remain the biggest threat to peace in the region.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“They praise the war criminals as heroes because the foundation of those crimes, namely, simple veiled hatred against our nation, racism and Serb supremacy, is still strong and alive. Serbia is the biggest threat to normalization and peace in the region. Instead of coming to terms with the past, they continue to destabilize the region, not only Kosovo. Just last September the Serb president threatened our country with war. This was due to a dispute about licence plates for cars. Mr. Vučić amassed troops and sent warplanes to our border — over licence plates for cars. Council members can therefore see that it is not Serbia’s past that is dangerous for us; it is the behaviour of contemporary Serbia that should change.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“Let me recall the horrific Serb war crimes against a small Catholic village in Kosovo, the Meja massacre. On 27 April 1999, Serb forces killed at least 377 civilians, 36 of whom were under 18 years old. They were taken out of a refugee convoy and executed by the road. Serb forces transported the bodies to a site near Belgrade to cover up these crimes. This is only one of the many unspeakable atrocities committed by Serbia. And now we are in this Chamber, 23 years later, listening to the same Serbian officials spewing hatred and perpetuating the same warmongering and inhuman rhetoric. Neither Mr. Vučić, who was part of the Cabinet of the Butcher of the Balkans, nor Mr. Selaković, nor any other of these nationalists, has ever apologized — ever. Instead, they keep covering up and defending the war crimes.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“That is quite unique in modern Europe and shows the main reason why our region remains unstable. In 1999, in just 18 months 15,000 people out of 1.9 million were brutally killed, 20,000 women raped, and countless war crimes and massacres committed. Thousands of homes, mosques, churches, schools and whole villages were levelled to the ground. It is of the utmost importance to mention that at the time, during the genocide, today’s President Vučić was Milošević’s propaganda minister. Like in Bosnia and Herzegovina, this was no war. It was an extinction campaign, like the one Putin is now attempting in Ukraine. We will never forget the victims, nor should the rest of the world. Now, the world has just learned about Russian war crimes in Bucha and other places in Ukraine.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“I am honoured when decision-makers from abroad tell us that Kosovo has become a role model for democracy and rule of law in our region. We will continue to uphold and strengthen those values. Allow me to be clear that Kosovo’s independence is not a result of a secessionist movement. Our country was born out of the genocide committed by Serbia. Kosovo had long resisted peacefully, non-violently, until we were forced to defend our families and lives in a brutal war. At the end, NATO came and rescued us. Kosovo survived Serbia’s openly declared attempt of extinction. Today we are an example for all victims of aggression and genocide that justice will always prevail in the end. Our people made their choice long ago. We are part of the West, while Serbia, our northern neighbour, remains Russia’s satellite.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“Economic growth in Kosovo in 2021 reached more than 10 per cent — one of the biggest increases in Europe last year. We registered a significant increase in budget revenues by more than 30 per cent, and our foreign direct investments over the past two years have increased significantly — by more than 65 per cent. The trust of citizens is a very hard currency, in any country. Our Government enjoys great trust from our people, but also faces high expectations. Its work is challenging, but is paying off and is benefiting us all. Thanks to our fight against corruption and organized crime, Kosovo jumped up 17 places in Transparency International’s 2021 report. We are glad, grateful and proud that this Government can rely on public support for our reforms.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“The vast majority of European Union and NATO countries recognize our independence and support our goals to become a member of NATO, the European Union and the United Nations. The Republic of Kosovo enjoys robust democratic, political and economic spheres. Yet, like all other countries, we have been hit by the pandemic and by the recent energy and food crisis. In the most recent period, Kosovo allocated resources to assist citizens and businesses. After electing a new Government in a landslide victory last year, Kosovo has reached a phase of a more transparent democracy committed to tackling organized crime and ensuring the rule of law. Today, our citizens have trust and hope in us, the Government and our country. That trust translates into outstanding success in other areas.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“It proofs that Kosovo, a sovereign State, is fulfilling its obligations towards its citizens and is a reliable and responsible counterpart for our partners in Europe and the world. We are glad that we could foster and extend our relationships with other countries — not only in Europe, but also in Africa, Asia and America, especially in recent months. We are proud that the Republic of Kosovo is respected — not only at home, but also in many European countries and beyond — as a vivid democracy with huge potential for the future. Fourteen years after Kosovo’s independence, our Republic is a globally established and recognized reality. Our country can count on many friends and partners in the region and around the globe.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“Regarding the presence of the United Nations in the Republic of Kosovo, I can report only that all United Nations agencies, including the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UN-Women and many others are highly respected and appreciated in Kosovo. However, when we talk about UNMIK, it is an entirely different story. UNMIK is not an administrative mission because Kosovo has a Government. UNMIK is not a peacekeeping mission because Kosovo’s law enforcement and the Kosovo Force guarantee the safety and security of our people. Basically, UNMIK no longer plays a role in the lives of our citizens and our country. I believe that this, in itself, is quite an encouraging development.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“Ms. Gërvalla-Schwarz: I am honoured to be here as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of my country, the Republic of Kosovo. Today’s meeting is taking place in a new era in Europe and in the world. The Europe that existed before the Russian invasion of Ukraine is no more. By destroying the post-war era, Russia is endangering the United Nations as well. Therefore, our debate today cannot not be only about the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) because it also needs to take those fundamental changes into account.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source