Dacic: We will continue the fight for the defense of territorial integrity in 2023.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Ivica Dacic, announced that the difficult diplomatic and political struggle related to the defense of our territorial integrity and sovereignty would continue in the new year and that one of the priorities would be the continuation of the policy related to the withdrawal of recognition of Kosovo.

Dacic, for Tanjug, said that it was difficult to talk about plans when in our country everything began and ended with the topic of territorial integrity and sovereignty, and therefore the plans were such as to provide the best possible basis to be able to protect our national and state interests in 2023. as well.

This, he adds, is a topic that Serbia will deal with in the coming period as well.

"I say, unfortunately, because we will certainly be faced with the continuation of pressure, double standards, blackmail, so that other goals we have, such as European integration or the establishment of better relations with some significant countries on the international political scene, will undoubtedly be conditioned and during the dialogue with Pristina", said Dacic.

He told for TV Prva that he expected in the first weeks of this year the tenth country to withdraw its recognition, which had not been announced.

He reminded that 18 countries that had withdrawn their recognition had been announced, and until now there were nine whose names were not published, so this would be the tenth, or the 28th, that would withdraw their recognition.

That, they say, will not solve the problem in general, but it creates certainty that we are not dependent on big powers.

"Yes, if the Kosovo and Metohija issue comes to the UN, it can be stopped in the Security Council, and if it passes in the General Assembly, it cannot be voted on, because now they can only get 83 votes. And if it goes to the General Assembly, they have no chance," he underlined.

He emphasized that President Aleksandar Vucic clearly said that they knew what our red lines were, which was that Serbia would no longer discuss the agreed Community of Serb-majority Municipalities, it will not discuss issues that had already been agreed upon.

Another thing, he adds, is that it will not agree to unofficially recognize Kosovo by agreeing not to oppose Kosovo's membership in the UN.

He underlined that this was absolutely unacceptable for Serbia.

Dacic pointed out that Serbia had a problem in Europe, where the largest number of countries recognized Kosovo.

He announced that Serbia would make maximum efforts for dialogue and peace, but will defend the lives and survival of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija with all its might.

We hoped and we hope that the international community will understand that the biggest factor of instability and the biggest threat to peace and stability in the region is Albin Kurti, i.e. the policy of Pristina, the policy of non-fulfillment of any international agreement from the UN Security Council resolution 1244 to the Brussels and Washington agreements, he added. 

Kurti, he says, wants to solve the general issue of Kosovo by expelling the Serbs from Kosovo, that is, to reach a solution that would entail international recognition.

He said that the wish for this year was for peace to reign on the battlefield in Ukraine, which caused tectonic disturbances on the political, economic and energy scene.

In this way, different conditions will be created for solving some other issues that are closer, namely the issue of European integration, reducing possible pressures on Serbia, as well as double standards when we look at the territorial integrity of Ukraine and the territorial integrity of Serbia, he said.

Dacic said that the policy of the Serbian state leadership would be directed towards the future and the European perspective, but with the protection of national and state interests.