YouSaid · the spoken record

Hoxha

lines on the record: 1,795
first: 2014-02-19
most recent: 2023-12-29
sittings or episodes: 264
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

“Yielding to nationalism and praising convicted war criminals are not just mere provocation. Any misstep in Bosnia and Herzegovina risks affecting the wider region. It therefore comes as no surprise that such unacceptable behaviour was rightfully sanctioned, and we welcome the actions taken by the United States of America and the United Kingdom against Dodik for his continued and intentional attempts to undermine the functionality of the State and the hard-won peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Western Balkans is a complex but dynamic and fast-developing region. Yet not all actors involved there push in the same direction, which remains a growing concern and a source of destabilization for the region.”
2022-05-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9029 (2022) · source
“Such a destabilizing platform aims to undo the reforms undertaken during the past 26 years to stop the Euro-Atlantic integration process and open the path for the dissolution of the country. That should not be accepted. We are particularly concerned by the continuation of the political rhetoric of denial of the genocide committed in Srebrenica, the glorification of war criminals and the use of hate speech with ethnic slurs. Stoking division among ethnic groups in Bosnia and Herzegovina for political games is Dodik’s signature, and his repeated public denial of the genocide is central to his efforts. Referring to the genocide as a fabricated myth or as the greatest deception of the twentieth century in a delusional denial is an insult to more than 8,000 civilians who were slaughtered in Srebrenica.”
2022-05-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9029 (2022) · source
“We welcome the clear positioning of Bosnia and Herzegovina in the support and defence of international law and the Charter of the United Nations in condemning Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. Bosnia and Herzegovina is stuck in a prolonged political crisis, mainly because of the unacceptable steps taken by Republika Srpska to undermine the sovereignty, territorial integrity and unity of the country. Through many different initiatives, Milorad Dodik, a Serb politician of Republika Srpska, is trying to transfer — but the right word would be stealing — competencies from the central Government to the institutions of Republika Srpska, in violation of the national Constitution and the Dayton Agreement.”
2022-05-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9029 (2022) · source
“That is in the interests of the Bosnia and Herzegovina citizens, who want stability, economic development and a better future. We believe that the 5+2 agenda remains a good basis for the reforms needed in the country. We welcome the initiative of the High Representative to establish an expert working group for a sustainable resolution of the issue of State and defence property. We encourage all political actors regarding an inclusive process of constitutional and electoral reform through creative dialogue and in line with European standards. The differences and ongoing discussion should not negatively impact the electoral process scheduled for October of this year.”
2022-05-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9029 (2022) · source
“His competencies and his executive mandate, as decided by the Peace Implementation Council, should be accepted and respected by all the relevant domestic and international actors and seen as part of the wider spectrum of efforts of the international community to help Bosnia and Herzegovina move ahead. I also welcome the presence of the Chair of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, His Excellency Mr. Šefik Džaferović, at this meeting. The situation in Bosnia Herzegovina remains complex. Unfortunately, there is a persistent lack of cooperation among the parties, often accompanied by tensions. We commend the engagement of High Representative Schmidt and his Office to de-escalate. We encourage all political actors in the country to join his calls for dialogue and cooperation at all State levels.”
2022-05-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9029 (2022) · source
“Let me start by thanking the High Representative, Mr. Christian Schmidt, for the in-depth and objective briefing today, as well as for the sixty-first report of the High Representative for the Implementation of the Peace Agreement on Bosnia- Hercegovina distributed to the Security Council (S/2022/374, annex). We welcome the presence of the High Representative and congratulate him on his efforts to support Bosnia and Herzegovina and its people in implementing the Dayton Peace Agreement. Albania fully supports and commends his engagement and activities.”
2022-05-11 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9029 (2022) · source
“He also visited Kyiv. As appalling and as shameful as it may be, Kyiv was shelled during his visit and while he was speaking. Rarely have we witnessed such a degree of disregard for the United Nations and its Secretary- General and such contempt for the Organization and the entire United Nations personnel. I do not know how the Russians explain that, unless in the very same way as for everything else: the Ukrainians did it. Let me conclude with this note: we should strongly reject any idea of territorial division of Ukraine imposed by force as a result of aggression. We have mentioned it before, and we reiterate it now: the creation of artificial entities, either by occupation or by proxies, is unacceptable. That should not be accepted in Ukraine or anywhere else.”
2022-05-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9027 (2022) · source
“When we have the top diplomat dwelling on such disgracefulness, that is a terrible low, coming from a very dangerous high. We are not in the business of competition as to who speaks more or louder. We are here to try to stop this war and those crimes, protect civilians and make sure that the perpetrators do not have a place in our world, but only in theirs — the one where they pay for their deeds through accountability. We welcome the huge efforts of the European Union to respond to the massive increase in humanitarian needs and in providing military, financial and other support for the reconstruction. We welcome the high- level international donor conference for Ukraine held today in Warsaw. Albania made a commitment there. As we heard, the Secretary-General was received in Moscow for uneasy talks with the authorities.”
2022-05-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9027 (2022) · source
“The scorched-earth strategy applied by Russia has made it the catacomb of Ukraine. We now know that the main mantra of the pretext of the war was that the invasion of Ukraine is to free the country of Nazis despite the fact that the first citizen, the President of Ukraine, is Jewish. Yet the theory has been further elaborated. Pretending that the most ardent anti-Semites are usually Jews and that Hitler had Jewish blood, which underlines a theory that Jews inflicted the Holocaust on themselves, just like the Ukrainians are supposedly slaughtering their people and destroying their own country, is not black humour. That is not one of those basic fake-news items that one easily discards as rubbish. That is part of the worst conspiracy-theory warfare.”
2022-05-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9027 (2022) · source
“The keyword here is mir. After several failed attempts, safe passage was arduously secured for a number of civilians in Mariupol’s steel facility, which, as we heard, is under way. That is a testimony — a welcome, but a meagre one compared to the scale of tragedy in Ukraine — that diplomacy can work, but there must be a will. The lucky ones who are seeing the sun again after weeks underground to escape relentless shelling say that, before being escorted to non-occupied parts of Ukraine, they were interrogated by Federal Security Service agents seeking information on the tunnels of the Azovstal steel complex, with a view to locating Ukrainian soldiers still in the only part of Mariupol not occupied by Russian forces. Occupied means destroyed. Only two months ago, Mariupol was a thriving city, with almost half a million inhabitants.”
2022-05-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9027 (2022) · source
“I would like to pay tribute to all the brave journalists who are risking their lives to tell the truth and keep the world informed about the war in Ukraine. Russian citizens must learn that this war is not glorifying their country. It has isolated it like never before. It is not making it further prosper. To the contrary, it is vertiginously spiralling it downward. It is not transporting it to modernity, but rather dragging it into a revolved past. No one wants to destroy Russia. No one wants to cancel Russia. If the Kremlin has made bad choices and has taken wrong decisions, it can correct the course, which means stopping the war, recalling troops back home, choosing reason, returning to diplomacy, respecting its neighbour and letting that big Ukraine heart beat in freedom, as Ms. Luzan mentioned. That is what is needed.”
2022-05-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9027 (2022) · source
“There could not be a more striking contrast between dreams and projects of science for conquering space and extending human civilization beyond the planet and that archaic and rotted rhetoric of the possible use of weapons of mass destruction and of annihilation of civilization because of the war of choice that is being lost. Leon Trotsky wrote: “The army is a copy of society and suffers from all its diseases, usually at a higher temperature.” That is why truth is critical so that domestic and international opinion does not fall for the propaganda and the conspiracy theories vehiculated relentlessly from a black hole, from where only darkness escapes. Only the day before yesterday, we celebrated World Press Freedom Day.”
2022-05-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9027 (2022) · source
“When one cannot prevail on the battlefield, one resorts to atrocities — a terrible match of incompetence with brutality. That is a cruel reality and a dreadful prospect. The more Russia struggles in the face of Ukraine’s resistance, the more the Kremlin’s rhetoric continues to escalate into the madman’s idea of nuclear war. Nuclear sabre-rattling is ignominious. Once it was by the President himself, then another official and then the unstoppable propaganda machine. What is the purpose of showing on the television a nuclear weapon, which could trigger a tsunami strong enough to flood the entire United Kingdom? What is the logic of staging a nuclear explosion in the heart of Ireland?”
2022-05-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9027 (2022) · source
“Global hunger is soaring to alarming levels, exacerbated like never before by this war, which is destroying a country, aggressing developing countries and challenging the entire world. To date, 1,200 bodies have been discovered around Kyiv, almost all of whom were civilians, killed by a bullet to the head. Members will recall that the Kremlin considered Ukrainians as brothers, yet it is killing them. When one kills one’s family, one is a monster. Soldiers have tortured, raped and murdered, only to be honoured for their bravery. They should be called to account, not celebrated. As Russia stalls and keeps redrawing its strategy, everything indicates that disabused commanders have abandoned military doctrine and, to prove any form of success, are flattening cities and terrorizing civilians. That is the victory à la russe.”
2022-05-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9027 (2022) · source
“The eastern and southern parts of Ukraine are now facing severe consequences, while air strikes continue in multiple areas in Ukraine, causing additional damage and civilian losses. Every time that we meet here, there are new reports of casualties and news of more atrocities uncovered and more destruction inflicted, just like the apartment hit in Odesa, killing eight civilians, including a three-month-old baby, and all those dreadful accounts just mentioned by High Commissioner Bachelet. But Russia’s actions are not limited only to Ukraine. More than 5 million people have been forced to cross the borders. No one could have imagined how quickly the world’s breadbasket could go from wheat fields to battlefields.”
2022-05-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9027 (2022) · source
“The absurd, unprovoked, unjustified and ongoing war of choice of Russia in Ukraine is in its third month. While Russia continues to be immured in total denial, the world continues to witness a never-ending human tragedy. Despite worldwide calls, there is no end in sight. Calls for a humanitarian pause during Orthodox Easter went unheeded. The war continues to inflict undue pain on Ukraine and its people. Indiscriminate shelling and bombing of population areas, the killing of civilians and attacks on health facilities, schools and civilian infrastructure continue. Extrajudicial killings, sexual violence and rape — actions that may amount to war crimes — have been documented and are mounting, as we heard from Under-Secretary-General Griffiths.”
2022-05-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9027 (2022) · source
“May I start by congratulating the United Kingdom presidency on its excellent stewardship of the Security Council during the month of April. I wish you, Madam President, as well as the United States team, the very best for this month. I would also like to thank the Secretary-General for his remarks, for his clear positioning in upholding international law and, even more so, for his efforts to negotiate safe passage for civilians in Mariupol during his recent visit to Russia and Ukraine. We all must be proud of what the United Nations system is doing to help Ukraine and its people. I would also like to thank Under-Secretary- General Griffiths, High Commissioner Bachelet and Ms. Luzan for their important and updated, yet sobering information.”
2022-05-05 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9027 (2022) · source
“Our discussions cannot, and should not, in any way call into question the full cooperation of any State under investigation by the OPCW, as it is our common responsibility to protect populations from any attack using chemical weapons. There cannot, and must not, be impunity for the use of chemical weapons — not in Syria, not elsewhere. Albania rejects all attempts to politicize the work of the OPCW, which would serve only to delay Syria’s implementation of resolution 2118 (2013), thereby also damaging the Security Council’s credibility. We therefore strongly reject any attempt to discredit the OPCW in order to cover up the horrific crimes committed by the Syrian regime and escape accountability. As we know full well, a lack of accountability promotes impunity — but impunity is neither a choice nor an alternative.”
2022-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9026 (2022) · source
“We therefore continue to wait for Syria to demonstrate concretely and unambiguously its willingness to cooperate with the OPCW with regard to all the demands set out in the OPCW report, in accordance with resolution 2118 (2013). Syria’s refusal — supported by Russia — to cooperate with the OPCW Technical Secretariat, is irresponsible and unacceptable. Albania continues to fully support the professional, independent and impartial work of the OPCW and its Technical Secretariat. The Security Council and its members have the responsibility to protect the international non-proliferation regime, which underpins our collective security. It is one of the most successful disarmament regimes in the world. It has ensured the destruction of over 98 per cent of declared-chemical weapons stockpiles.”
2022-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9026 (2022) · source
“This deadlock hinders the implementation of resolution 2118 (2013), and Syria’s chemical weapons programme remains outside the control of the international community. The one hundred-second monthly report (see S/2022/281) of the OPCW clearly assesses that, at this stage, due to identified gaps, inconsistencies and unresolved discrepancies, the latest declaration submitted by the Syrian Arab Republic cannot be considered accurate and complete in accordance with the Chemical Weapons Convention. Like many times before, we are once again receiving the same response, the same incomplete document that does not answer the questions posed.”
2022-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9026 (2022) · source
“Mr. Hoxha (Albania) (spoke in French): I also would like to thank Mrs. Izumi Nakamitsu for her briefing. We highly appreciate her repeated calls for Syrian cooperation and for unity in the Security Council in order to ensure accountability on the use of chemical weapons. We deeply regret the finding of a deliberate lack of cooperation by Syria with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Today we continue to face a situation that has barely changed since the most recent Security Council meeting on 10 March 2022 (see S/PV.8990). There is no progress in the discussions between the OPCW and the Syrian Government. There is therefore no progress on the next inspection in Syria. Another seven weeks have been lost, for the simple reason that Syria wants to select the inspectors, which it has no right to do.”
2022-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9026 (2022) · source
“We hope that the May talks in Cairo will have positive results in advancing the aspiration of the Libyan people towards national elections, held on a constitutional basis, and we expect the parties to engage in negotiations in good faith. Albania and others in the Council have loudly voiced their support for a substantive mandate renewal of UNSMIL. Regrettably, that did not happen. We are disappointed that one Council member imposed a technical rollover despite the sincere engagement and efforts of other Council members. We very much hope that all members of the Council will engage constructively in guaranteeing the Mission predictable funding and resources, as well as a robust mandate to operate on the ground in future.”
2022-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9025 (2022) · source
“Albania welcomes the mandate renewal of United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), which we supported. I would like to thank you, Madam President, and the United Kingdom team, the penholder, for its relentless work and commend it for the outcome. Albania further welcomes the focus of resolution 2629 (2022) on the implementation of the independent strategic review and strongly encourages its implementation. We commend the mediation efforts of the Special Adviser of the Secretary-General, Ms. Stephanie Williams, in paving the way towards national elections through a sustainable, Libyan-led political process under the auspices of the United Nations.”
2022-04-29 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9025 (2022) · source
“It is the only lifeline for millions in desperate need. To refuse that would be tantamount to knowingly condemn an innocent people to death by starvation. That is a crime and should not happen. Humanitarian assistance needs to be non-political, based on the needs of the population, and reach everyone. Let me end by recalling that the consequences of our action or inaction, as we have seen over the course of the last 11 years, will have a direct impact on Syrian civilians today and on the generations to come.”
2022-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9022 (2022) · source
“The ongoing political process should not be a political process in name only. Meetings on a constitutional framework succeed one another without any results beyond their numbering. Fresh pressure must be exerted on all stakeholders, including the regime, at all levels to begin a serious and genuine political process in Syria, including with the meaningful participation of women. That is important to support the tireless and commendable efforts of the Special Envoy to produce tangible results. Keeping in mind what has been spoken of many, many times during this meeting and every time we meet on Syria, that is, the worsening humanitarian situation, the Council must renew resolution 2585 (2021), reauthorize the Bab Al-Hawa crossing and reopen other border crossings so that vital humanitarian aid can reach those who depend on it.”
2022-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9022 (2022) · source
“What we continue to witness in Syria, beyond the obvious humanitarian catastrophe, is a total breakdown of morality. It is our responsibility in the Council to take a firm stance and to demonstrate to the Syrian people, as well as to the world, that a regime that has inflicted, and continues to inflict, unspeakable misery and suffering on its own people, without remorse and with total impunity, is an affront to human civilization. Such a monument to savagery and the personification of evil should not prevail. We should not have to be reminded that failing to uphold international law and the profoundest respect for human rights has direct consequences in other parts of the world. Impunity emboldens autocratic regimes to commit further crimes. It is a licence to kill. Therefore, silence is not a choice. It is not our choice.”
2022-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9022 (2022) · source
“We commend the efforts of the Syrian victim groups and civil society in developing the Truth and Justice Charter, launched in February 2021, with a clear vision and demands to deal with the question of enforced disappearances and arbitrary detention in Syria. We call upon the Special Envoy and Member States to support the creation of a mechanism for missing people, as well as of a consultative or contact group to provide urgent actions and support with regard to detainees and forced disappearances and missing persons files in Syria. We support the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism regarding the investigation and prosecution of persons responsible for the most serious crimes and the referral of this situation to the International Criminal Court.”
2022-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9022 (2022) · source
“Not only does the regime show unseemly disregard for the fate of missing people and their families; it oversees what I can call an economy of anguish, where prison guards and other regime cronies sell false information to desperate family members of the missing persons, who have been living in endless torment in search for answers for more than a decade now. That is widely recognized as a major obstacle to peace and justice in Syria. Addressing it has rightfully been one of the foremost demands of victims and civil society over the past decade. We remain deeply concerned about the fate and well- being of children detained in the Ghuwayran detention centre and other detention centres across north-east Syria. We echo the call of Assistant Secretary-General Msuya for an immediate sustainable solution for the children.”
2022-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9022 (2022) · source
“It has abducted and forcefully disappeared thousands of people — an issue that is highlighted in the latest report of the Secretary-General (S/2022/330). More than 150,000 persons have disappeared or are still detained somewhere in the dark side of Syria. Only the Al-Assad regime knows about the fate of those who are either languishing in some inhuman detention or are dead without a trace. The regime does not even care to reveal any information about their whereabouts, keeping suspended the lives of families who still search for their loved ones in vain, since, due to this vicious choice of the regime, they may never get their much-needed closure.”
2022-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9022 (2022) · source
“I should like to begin by thanking Special Envoy Pedersen for his tireless efforts and his briefing today. I also thank Assistant Secretary-General Msuya and Ms. Shawky for their updated information. There is no other way to put it: Syria, this hot conflict, is a tragedy without an end. Every time we need to discuss the situation on the ground, we note yet another grim milestone. As we just heard, the humanitarian catastrophe deepens; the humanitarian needs increase by the day; and the violence continues to claim innocent lives, including women and children. As dark as that is, there seems to be no limit to the depravity of the regime. It has knowingly committed egregious crimes against the civilian population that qualify as crimes against humanity, including enforced disappearance, torture, murder, imprisonment and rape.”
2022-04-26 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9022 (2022) · source
“Therefore, we should not yield to failure, since it measure not only in terms of time — of years and decades lost — but also in the loss of human lives and futures and dreams that are squandered, and aspirations that are destroyed. Peace is made by people and for the people; but people without hope are people without dreams, aspirations and projects. And when you happen to be so tragically dispossessed of anything meaningful in life, you remain stuck in time with nowhere to go. That is why we see no alternative to a situation where Israelis and Palestinians work and learn to live together by respecting each other’s rights and aspirations and by sharing hope and sharing that land they both identify with. As per the words of Martin Luther King: “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.””
2022-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9021 (2022) · source
“Therefore, knowing what the solution may be for this enduring conflict to end and continuously failing to do what is required to come closer to that solution is equal to a never- ending misfortune. How many times has a timid ray of hope appeared somewhere only to have something dark and more powerful come along to brutally crush it, as if hope for the Middle East peace process were always misplaced? Extremists and their agendas will always be around the corner; they should not be allowed to occupy a central place. On the contrary, hope, vision and rationality should be the ingredients to foment progress towards peace.”
2022-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9021 (2022) · source
“The Abraham Accords have opened important doors for strategic cooperation between Israel and its neighbours. We welcome that and encourage further similar steps. We want to believe that this positive atmosphere will be seen as a strong encouragement to help the parties work together with renewed energy. We commend the active engagement of Egypt and Jordan in favour of peace. We remain convinced that a sustainable solution to the peace process remains an imperative if Israel and all its Arab neighbours are to be able to construct a robust regional economic and security architecture that will not be evanescent. Its dividends would be felt way beyond the region itself.”
2022-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9021 (2022) · source
“We believe that direct and meaningful negotiations between the parties, with the help of and facilitation by important stakeholders, within the framework of relevant United Nations resolutions, should lead to the creation of two States: a secure State of Israel and an independent, democratic and viable State of Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, with mutual recognition, trust and respect, and with Jerusalem as a shared capital. We know only too well that there is a plethora of grievances. Narratives are utterly opposed, and interests could not be more divisive. But each day passing without contacts, negotiations and meaningful engagement is a day lost to peace, which will only maintain and widen that divisive gulf, with all its known regrettable consequences.”
2022-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9021 (2022) · source
“This grim picture of recent developments should not obscure the fact that there is only one path that is worth fighting for: a reality where Israelis and Palestinians enjoy equal rights and freedoms. We know from past examples that anytime the parties have come together they have been able to make progress, to foresee a track for their future. That is why we welcome high-level contacts between Israelis and Palestinians, which should contribute to renewing confidence and help create conditions towards the relaunch of the peace process as soon as possible.”
2022-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9021 (2022) · source
“We remain equally concerned about the loss of life among the Palestinians, especially women and children. Israel must show self-restraint to prevent further escalation, and any excessive use of force leading to civilian casualties must be properly investigated. The response to terrorist acts must be firm. Yet it must be legally rooted, institutionally carried out and always proportionate. We are also concerned that unilateral steps, the expansion of settlements, the demolition of homes and the eviction of Palestinians can only make a bad situation worse. Rising settler violence must stop, and those responsible for it must be held to account. We have and will continue to call for concrete, continued and sustained steps that diffuse tensions.”
2022-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9021 (2022) · source
“Terrorist acts are abominable actions that should be universally and unambiguously condemned, whenever and wherever they occur. Albania understands the legitimate concerns of Israel for its security and the need to respond to terrorist attacks against its civilians. Terror has no place anywhere, and there can be no justification for it. It must never be left unanswered; it must never be condoned. We condemn any incitement to violence whatsoever. Holy places and holy days should be used for prayer and spiritual reflection, as billions are doing across the world. That is, and should always be, incompatible with the incitement to violence or any inflammatory rhetoric. The holy places should not be places or targets of violence or vengeance, but of veneration and reverence.”
2022-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9021 (2022) · source
“I would like to express my delegation’s appreciation for the briefing by the Special Coordinator of the Middle East Peace Process and his efforts and calls for calm and restraint. We fully support his work. To have hope is to want an outcome that makes our lives better in some way, since envisioning a better future motivates us to take the steps to make it happen. Therefore, hope is an obligation for the Security Council to play any role it can in helping achieve peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. We regret to see that recent developments on the ground are shattering once again the hopes that we must entertain to arrive at a point where just and lasting peace appear on the horizon. Civilians remain targets of violence. We condemn in the strongest terms the terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians.”
2022-04-25 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9021 (2022) · source
“Instead, there are only benefits when one does everything to work for good, look ahead and share the dividends of good- neighbourliness; as the French say, “A bon entendeur, salut”. And I say to the Minister, no, the only great and greater goal that we have on our agenda is joining the European Union.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“We want everyone around the table, including Serbia and Kosovo together, and no one on the menu. That is because we know where we come from, and we have seen the worst, as I mentioned. If we have drawn any lessons from the tragedies of the 1990s, it is what can happen if we let ourselves be taken in by misjudgments and wrong ideas and if we do not have the courage to face reality and move on. We should not let extremists and extremist ideas anywhere dictate our agendas. Indeed, youth in Pristina, Tirana and Belgrade want the same thing: a better life, freedom, opportunities and to join the European Union. We should be able to give them that, not only because it is just, but because now we can. Let us not forget that nothing good can come from working to harm one’s neighbour.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“I will not argue with Minister Selaković, for many reasons, because even when we disagree, we can do that in Belgrade or in Tirana. We do not need to take up the Council’s time. But I am speaking since it is hard to agree with everything that I heard, and since I heard that he ended his second remarks by referring to an obsession we continue to hear about, unfortunately — greater Albania. Let me tell you the perspective that we in Albania have, and I hope that we share it with all Western Balkans neighbours and partners. What we care about in Albania is not greater this or greater that. We care about building open Balkans, not broken Balkans, because broken we have had. We want to have united Balkans, nor ignited Balkans, because ignited we have had.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“The only need is for more political courage, wisdom and vision. I would add a further word, which I had not planned to say. I listened to our Russian colleague and regret to be obligated to react, but since I have the floor, I would like to say that, coming from the region, what we heard today is not true. In the last few weeks, we have become accustomed to Russia’s false narratives in relation to Ukraine. Now Russia is extending them to Kosovo. We regret that Russia cannot see the changed reality in the Western Balkans. Russia’s vision is blurred, so rather than seeing the region as it is, Russia sees it as it wishes it were. We are sorry for that.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“We disagree with the dark picture painted by the Serbian Foreign Minister in this respect, since it is simply not the case. Creation of artificial entities that can only lead to dysfunctional States is not an option and should not be supported, and Albania will never condone it. The only viable solutions are those that guarantee rights by law and exercise them through institutions, and this must be the case in Kosovo as well. I would like to encourage Serbia and Kosovo to engage seriously in the EU-facilitated dialogue and, by closing the dark chapters of the past, design their future through mutual recognition, good-neighbourliness, increased economic and trade relations, exchanges in science, education and culture, and people-to-people contacts, in particular among youth. There is nothing to invent since everything has been done before.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“Such criminal attacks only create artificial tensions that favour illegal activity. They should be condemned by all, including Serbia, and perpetrators must be held accountable. No part of the territory of Kosovo should be left in the hands of lawlessness, and we strongly encourage Kosovo authorities to do whatever is needed to make law prevail. The rule of law for democracies should never be open to question. Extensive legislation and good practices with regard to national minorities exist in Europe and the Balkans, and Kosovo has one of the best and strongest legislative frameworks as well as an exemplary implementation record. It is not just us who are saying that. Even though the minority population of Kosovo counts for less than 5 per cent, Kosovo has established itself as a multi-ethnic State.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“Milošević died behind bars; Karadžić was convicted of genocide and is paying for his deeds. A word to the wise: the instrumentalization of national minorities — in Kosovo or anywhere else — is playing with fire, with terrible consequences, as we have seen so many times. Our region has seen the worst of it in the past. We have argued several times that Russian aggression directly and indirectly affects the entire world, including the Western Balkans, and we should not lose sight of or focus on the need to properly mitigate those threats. Russian proxies in the region should not be allowed any space to undermine or roll back achievements. In this respect, we condemn in the strongest possible terms the recent attacks against the police in Kosovo, as the Special Representative of the Secretary- General also rightly did.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“They talk about reconciliation and cooperation; we talk about the free movement of people and capital. We talk Europe. This is, in our view, is the best investment for the future. In our part of the world, we do not need more weapons, we need brains. We do not need killing drones; we need ideas, innovation and investments. Finally, let me address one key issue for the region, for both Kosovo and Serbia — reconciliation. The war of aggression in Ukraine brought to our mind the dreadful memories of the war during the dissolution of Yugoslavia. Massacres of the civilian population — be they in Bucha, Ukraine, or in Račak, Kosovo, or in Srebrenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina — all have one thing in common: they are despicable, unacceptable, intolerable crimes. And accountability always ends by knocking on the door.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“The independence of Kosovo is a reality, an issue settled 14 years ago. It is not for discussion in the Council or outside of it. It has been a question for the Kosovars to decide — and they have. Since 2008, the entire region advances in peace and development, with a concrete reality and an ever-increasing prospect of close regional cooperation, moving individually and collectively towards the European Union. Maybe it is not known in the Council, but the Western Balkans have created common institutions in which Serb and Kosovar nationals serve together, such as the Western Balkans Fund and the Regional Youth Cooperation Office, both headquartered in Tirana. Our leaders meet all the time, everywhere, in Albania and Serbia, in North Macedonia and Kosovo, and they do not talk about conflicts, tensions or war.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“The image of the Balkans as a place of turmoil and political instability is bygone. Wounds of the past have not completely disappeared, of course. How could they, given what Kosovo and the region have been through? We must not forget the missing persons. There should never be impunity for sexual violence in conflict. We hear the silent scream of some 20,000 Kosovo women and girls who were used as a weapon of war by Serbs who are still at large. Yet attention should be devoted to improving the present and the future. While the Balkans are nowhere near perfection, they live nowadays in a completely different reality. I challenge anyone — in the Council or outside of it — to argue and prove that the Balkans are not nowadays much better off with Kosovo as an independent country.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“Despite legal aspects involved on how the communication was handled, we expect UNMIK to fully and properly investigate the allegations against its personnel who were declared persona non grata by the authorities. Who the persons are and what they did is of public knowledge. We expect UNMIK to properly vet their hires and have them behave in strict conformity with their mandate in full impartiality — not for any obscure agenda — and in respect of the national security of Kosovo and the rules of the host country. We fully support the EU-facilitated dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia and call on all those involved to accelerate it. There is no alternative to dialogue, but what is needed is an active and productive process — not a frozen one. A never-ending dialogue without results simply erodes public trust.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source
“Its budget of roughly $42 million per year and its staff of 374 people call for an overall review of the role and effectiveness of UNMIK so as to avoid duplication with other agencies operating there or simply spinning in the void, with a view to the Council terminating UNMIK’s mandate and helping move to a more effective United Nations presence fully fit-for-purpose, in accordance with the needs of the country. In that connection, we commend the work of the United Nations country team in response to Kosovo’s needs and priorities. But while UNMIK is in Kosovo, we will expect it to do its best and — in full impartiality — help Kosovo and its citizens. We listened very carefully to the commitment of the Special Representative in that respect.”
2022-04-20 · UN Security Council · Security Council, S/PV.9019 (2022) · source