Djuric: Awarding Kosovo membership in the Council of Europe would be an international scandal

Albin Kurti's regime does not want membership in the Council of Europe so that the Serbs would have the right to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, but to consolidate the false statehood of Kosovo, Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric said tonight, stating that rewarding Kosovo with membership in to that organization or anything else - was an international scandal.

"Kurti's regime does not want membership in the Council of Europe so that the Serbs would have the right to appeal to the Court in Strasbourg, but to consolidate the false statehood of Kosovo, and so that his like-minded followers of Greater Albanian politics would flood the Court in Strasbourg with lawsuits against Serbia for compensation. is in the program of Kurti's extreme movement", underlined Djuric for Euronews Serbia.

He pointed out that the extreme Kurti movement has done more against the reconciliation of Serbs and Albanians in recent years than all the leaders of the KLA.

"If it was rewarded with membership in the Council of Europe or anything else, it would be an international scandal," underlined Djuric.

He said that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic devoted a lot of time in talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and other leaders on this topic and that the fact that many countries, which strongly supported Kosovo, have now withdrawn is the result of those serious efforts.

"It is obvious that some centers do not like the independent and free foreign policy of Serbia and that is why they use secondary issues to put Serbia under pressure. They must know that Serbia is a consistent, reliable and responsible partner, which means that cooperation can be counted on, but also to strong resistance when unprincipled pressure is exerted," underlined Đurić.

In light of Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Serbia, the minister pointed out that, as far as Kosovo is concerned, China's position is not in question.

"As far as Kosovo and Metohija are concerned, Kosovo's position is not in question, and this was shown by the timing of President Xi Jinping's visit to Serbia on the 25th anniversary of the bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade. The New York Times also wrote about this, stating that the fact that the selected the day of arrival in Serbia coincides with the date of the bombing of the embassy shows that China has underlined the violation of international law and the application of double standards," he explained.

He said that China's support is also valuable in the matter of the resolution on the genocide in Srebrenica, adding that the views expressed at the meetings, but which he cannot express publicly, out of respect for his Chinese friends, are such that the citizens will not be dissatisfied.

"Out of respect for our Chinese friends, I cannot say in advance how they will express themselves, but I can say that the citizens will not be dissatisfied and that China will understand the arguments that our team presented to them several times," said Djuric.

Oh, Serbia would welcome Europe, but Europe also means Serbia

On the occasion of marking May 9, Europe Day, the head of Serbian diplomacy says that Europe would welcome Serbia, but that Europe would also welcome Serbia, because it has something to offer, culturally, historically and in every other way.

He firmly believes, as he says, that Serbia will become even better, more modern, but that traditional values will also be preserved.

"On our way to the EU, we will stick to our own principles and our own rules, so that it does not become like a joke - the operation succeeds, the patient dies. As for the future of Europe, the EU is faced with many challenges, but we should not be happy about it, because we are in the same boat, and when the German economy suffers, it also affects our economy. So, 'let the neighbor's cow be alive and well,'" said Djuric.

Xi’s visit put Serbia on the map of global geopolitical events

The head of Serbian diplomacy also pointed out that the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Belgrade was of historical importance and that it put Serbia on the map of global geopolitical events.

"This visit is without exaggeration of a historical character and puts Serbia on the map of global geopolitical events, raises our profile. It has strategic and economic results," explained Djuric.

He emphasized that President Xi said that China will support the development of Serbia even more strongly in the economic sense with specific projects, as well as by researching the possibility of opening various factories.

Djuric underlined that there are two factors that are crucial for close relations with China.

According to him, it is the first that Serbia leads an independent foreign policy, which is recognized by the Chinese leadership.

"Serbia is its own small decision-making center. But there is also the personal relationship that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has built with Chinese President Xi, which was evident from the first moment of the arrival of the Chinese head of state. Words of appreciation on a personal level could be heard at the meetings. , with the description that the policy led by Vucic is a persistent, determined and independent policy. For a country of seven million people, it is something that enjoys the respect of China. The Chinese leadership has shown that it sees Serbia as one of the key partners in the world, but certainly in Europe," Djuric pointed out.

The head of Serbian diplomacy pointed out that close cooperation with China and Serbia's European path are not mutually exclusive.

"Serbia's strategic decision to move towards the EU is not in question, and the European Union closely cooperates with China. When Xi Jinping visited Europe in 2019, the GDP of all EU countries combined was equal to the GDP of China. Today, China's GDP is 15 percent greater than the GDP of all EU countries combined," Djuric pointed out.

He pointed out that Serbia's comparative advantage is that it has the closest relations with China and that it signed a joint statement on deepening cooperation with Beijing.

He explained that the joint statement is part of China's broader efforts to create a community for the future of mankind to solve global issues together, peacefully.

He reminded that in 2013, Serbia made a similar statement at the initiative of China, which opened the door for additional economic cooperation.

"The same is the case now, and it will not diminish our capacity for cooperation with the EU. This will only increase the interest in Serbia among potential partners in the West," Djuric is confident.

He also reminded that China supports Serbia regarding Kosovo.

Djuric said that many would not believe the praises that President Xi gave regarding the personality and vision of the President of Serbia.

"What is more important is that the visit resulted in concrete rapprochement, the signing of a joint declaration that included Serbia in the first round of China's partners," he pointed out.

Serbia will continue to lead a libertarian, independent policy, inspired by the idea of transforming Serbia into a modern, developed society, respecting its national interests, underlined Djuric.

He said that one of the important things that unites China and Serbia is that Belgrade is fundamentally committed to respecting international law, regardless of which country it is.

"Serbia in its relationship with China does not do this based on daily political whims, but because it is a long-term strategic interest," Djuric stressed.

He reminded that the free trade agreement with China makes Serbia the most attractive destination in this part of the world.

Serbian companies, he added, will have access to a huge market, and company leaders in Germany and France are already thinking about how they can use this unique Serbian contribution to Europe.

Djuric said that one of the important results of the visit, which was insufficiently followed up, was the agreement on 300 scholarships for Serbian students who will have the opportunity to study at prestigious Chinese universities at China's expense, as well as an invitation to 50 Serbian scientists.

He pointed out that one should keep in mind how many new top people it will produce.

Đurić pointed out that with a country as big as China, every agreement is significant.

He reported that he had the opportunity to meet with the head of the Chinese development agency, and pointed out that it is an institution that has a budget of 12 billion euros per year for just one set of its programs.
"And that agency is coming to Serbia, just as USAID came decades ago and helped us. The Chinese side also announced non-refundable grants and various other types of support. It's all a net gain for us," he explained.

He assessed that the Chinese president's visit to Serbia was a turning point in global events and reminded that Serbia was the only destination he visited for the second time.

"For Serbia, which is facing enormous challenges and is faced with enormous pressures, this extended hand of friendship and support has historical significance. When Xi last visited Europe, he did not stay in the same destinations, except for Serbia. This shows that we have a policy that it is not easy and which is often criticized, we managed to put ourselves on the map, and those who criticize us now and cooperate with China themselves will have greater respect, because they will also offer more favorable political and economic conditions to compete for their position here. This is only possible as long as we conduct politics with a backbone," underlined Djuric.

He noted that the message that the Chinese president gave publicly at a press conference regarding the aggression against Yugoslavia in 1999 was very significant.

"Many people missed it, but President Xi emphasized at the conference that China will never allow a repeat of what happened to friendly Serbia in 1999," Djuric said.

Stating that it is not the first time he has heard such an attitude from Chinese officials, Djuric stated that he has heard Chinese ambassadors say this, but that the Chinese president's statement has more weight because it comes from the mouth of the highest leader of the country, as well as the army.

"This means that it has become an integral part of the doctrine of Chinese presence in this part of the world, and it is a strong message," Djuric noted.