Vucic at the UN: Nobody's listening to anybody here, no one strives toward agreements and problem solving

Photo: Serbian Presidency

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic said last night during the general debate of world leaders that unfortunately no one is listening to what anybody else has to say nor strives toward real agreements and problem solving, instead almost everyone worries only about their own interests, often trampling the principles of international law and the UN Charter.

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"This is not the fault of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres or anyone from the UN, but rather those forces that do not take into account anything except the satisfaction of their own political, economic and, unfortunately, military goals," Vucic warned while addressing the general debate.

"Don't take it against me but due to the limited time, today I will skip the burden of formalities, polite addresses, greeting those present and absent, a instead speak directly about the essence of what we are here for," said Vucic.

Our words ring hollow and empty against the reality we are facing, added Vucic.

"And that reality is that nobody is really listening to anyone here, nobody strives for real agreements and solving problems and almost everyone only cares about satisfying their own interests, often trampling on the basic principles of international law, throwing the UN Charter and others documents on which this organization is based under their feet," stressed Vucic.

President Vucic added that he wants to precisely and clearly present to the world leaders at the UN Serbia's view on the five key challenges we are facing today, namely, the first, the return to peace and preservation of global stability, the second, the preservation of territorial integrity and sovereignty of internationally recognized states, members of this organization, as a key principle of international public law and relations between states.

As the third challenge, Vucic mentioned energy security in the conditions of a global crisis, the fourth was financial security of poor and developing countries, and the fifth - food supply in the conditions of global supply lines cut off by war.

We are witnessing the complication of the global geopolitical situation, said Vucic.

"Our general debate is taking place in conditions of disturbed world peace, to an extent not seen since the Second World War and since the founding of the UN. The global challenges we face threaten to fundamentally change the international security architecture and are a threat to the established international legal order. Such complex times require a lot of wisdom and unity in order to preserve peace as the absolute most important asset woven into the very foundations of the UN organization," said Vucic.

He added that global conditions are increasingly reminding us that the principle of peaceful settlement of disputes has no alternative.

"This principle is more relevant today than ever and is best described in the preamble of the UN Charter, which calls for being 2tolerant and living together in peace with each other as good neighbors'. Renouncing the use of force, and peaceful settlement of disputes are the pillars on which world stability is based, but they must be accompanied by principles such as non-selective respect of the UN Charter, application of binding resolutions of the UN Security Council and the basic principles of valid international public law.

Photo: Serbian Presidency

When it comes to preserving the territorial integrity and sovereignty of internationally recognized states, members of this organization, Serbia supports the territorial integrity of all UN member states, including the territorial integrity of Ukraine, Vucic stressed.

"In this way, we behaved responsibly, seriously in this high house. From many speakers we heard stories about aggression and violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, many say that it is the first conflict on European soil since World War II. But the truth that the territorial integrity of a country in Europe has been violated for the first time, namely that of Serbia, which did not attack any other sovereign country, is persistently overlooked. We are looking for a clear answer to the question that I have been asking my interlocutors, leaders of many countries, for years - what is the difference between the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia, which has been grossly violated, and to which violation many of you give international recognition and legitimacy? I have never received a rational answer to that question from anyone," said the president of Serbia.

Vucic that Serbia did not set foot in someone else's territory, nor did it threaten the territorial integrity of any sovereign state, in order for anyone to intervene and carry out aggression against it, as was done in 1999.

"This still did not prevent NATO from attacking a sovereign country without the approval of the United Nations Security Council. The fact that, after the end of the armed conflict an agreement was signed with NATO, the provisions of which provided for the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244, which confirmed and guaranteed Serbia's partial sovereignty and complete territorial integrity, did not prevent many Western countries from recognizing the unilaterally declared independence of 'Kosovo' and from once again, trampling on the territorial integrity of our country. Precisely because of this experience that Serbia went through and is still going through, I am convinced that I have every right to quote the words of the great Martin Luther King: 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere'. These words stand as a reminder, but also a warning to us all," said Aleksandar Vucic.

"Regardless of the fact that we are still feeling the consequences of the gross violation of the basic provisions of international public law, we are not giving up on the fundamental principles of the United Nations. We will continue to advocate for consistent respect of the principle of inviolability of borders, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all other member states of the United Nations. Despite our position, many in this room still have a problem with respecting the territorial integrity of Serbia. Are you wondering why? Because they have the force and we are small and weak in their eyes. However, as you have heard, we still have the strength to present the truth in this place," said Vucic.

The Republic of Serbia and I, as its president, are very patiently and with a lot of good will looking for a compromise regarding Kosovo and Metohija, under the auspices of the European Union, and within the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, President Vucic reminded.

"It is a difficult process, it has been going on for more than ten years, but we do not see an alternative. It is better to negotiate for a hundred years than to fight for a day. I am convinced that we will reach a mutually acceptable solution, based on compromise, because this is absolutely the only way to achieve our goal, which is the establishment of long-term peace as a prerequisite for a prosperous life for Serbs and Albanians in our region. We have already exhausted all other options and, at least as far as Serbia is concerned, we have no intention of returning to the path of conflict and bloodshed. The Balkan region cannot bear another conflict. I trust that in this effort we will be met with the good will and understanding of our international partners, because they also know very well that some previous decisions of their governments were bad and did not work in favor of the future of our region and world peace. Belgrade conducts this process in very complex circumstances of a hybrid war and a dirty campaign by a part of the international public against our country in various fields.

It is enough to remind you of the quotes and statements printed by international media that Serbia would attack its neighbors and that it represents a threat to regional stability. Of course, that never happened, and it was just one in a series of numerous lies against the Republic of Serbia. Serbia is characterized as a potential factor of destabilization in the region, just to stop it from telling the truth, that the principle of inviolability of borders must apply equally to everyone. Serbia was and will be a factor of stability in the entire region. Serbia, despite many falsehoods and falsifications, supports the Dayton Peace Agreement. The territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the integrity of the Serb Republic within Bosnia and Herzegovina. And just because Serbia thought that the policy of sanctions introduced today against the Russian Federation cannot bring good results to anyone," said Vucic.

Finally, the president said that Serbia remains a partner of UN member states, and ended his address with the words, "Long live Serbia."

Vucic was the ninth speaker last night, with President of Ukraine Zelensky speaking before him via video link.

The main theme of this year's session of the UN General Assembly, which began on September 13, has been titled, "A watershed moment: transformative solutions to interlocking challenges."

(Telegraf.rs)