Djuric: This government’s policy is one of never giving up on Kosovo and Metohija

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric told a session of the National Assembly today that the policy of the Serbian Government was one of never giving up on Kosovo and Metohija and of exposing everything that Albin Kurti’s repressive regime was doing against the Serbian people in Kosovo.

Djuric said that, in the preceding period, the Serbian Government had worked to protect Serbia’s territorial integrity and draw attention to the position of the Serbian people in Kosovo through its activities in the United Nations Security Council, the Office for Kosovo and Metohija and Serbia’s diplomatic and consular missions.

“I will tell you, and I will tell everyone in Serbia today, that this Government’s policy is one of never giving up on Kosovo and Metohija; that this Government’s policy is one of fighting to prevent any further affirmation of the so-called independence of Kosovo and Metohija; and that this Government’s policy is one of exposing everything that Kurti’s repressive regime is doing against the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija,” Djuric said.

Addressing the MPs, he stressed that Serbia had “very little room for political error” and stood at the intersection of international political, security and economic interests.

“Responsibility and unity must be the key words in the debate on confidence in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, given the circumstances in which this debate is taking place. We must not lose sight, even for a moment—and I feel a particular responsibility as foreign minister to point this out—of the fact that this debate is taking place at a time when our country has very little room for political error,” he said.

He assessed that Serbia stood at the crossroads of international political, security and economic interests and therefore, as he stated, must not allow others to make decisions on its behalf.

“We must not allow history to repeat itself, with others making decisions for us. That is why it is important for our foreign policy to reflect the consensus within our society, the unity of our society and our national responsibility,” the minister said.

He stressed that, in the preceding period, Serbia had also worked to develop relations with a number of key strategic partners in the international community.

He recalled that Serbia had launched a Strategic Dialogue with the United States on 17 July this year, assessing that this had opened a new chapter in relations between the two countries.

“And this was not merely a diplomatic meeting. It was not simply a photo opportunity. It was a substantive step forward in relations between our two countries, enabling us to introduce structure, a working methodology and coordination between various ministries and institutions into our relations,” Djuric said.

According to him, the Strategic Dialogue had opened up opportunities for cooperation in the fields of education and science, energy and energy security, as well as demining.

“Through the Memorandum of Understanding that was concluded, we created the conditions for greater energy security and the further development of our country’s energy infrastructure,” the minister said.

Djuric stressed that Serbia had promoted EXPO 2027 around the world, opened new doors for the Serbian economy and expanded its diplomatic network.

“In the times in which we live, no country can afford to remain passive, and we have not been passive. We have been more active than ever,” he said.

Speaking about relations with other countries, Djuric recalled Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić’s visit to China, which he assessed had deepened the strategic cooperation between the two countries. He added that Serbia had not neglected its relations with the Russian Federation or with the countries of Asia, Latin America and Africa.

He said that, over the previous 60 days, he had visited the United States, Canada, Brazil, Panama, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Moldova, Finland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Italy, stressing that those meetings had not been merely ceremonial, but had formed part of efforts to strengthen Serbia’s international standing.

Djuric also said that a Strategic Dialogue with Israel had been launched while relations with Arab countries had simultaneously been preserved.

“All of this served to strengthen our country’s international standing,” Djuric concluded.