Djuric: The next year is significant for the struggle for Kosovo

Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marko Djuric emphasized that the coming year will be extremely important for the affirmation and struggle for Kosovo and called on Serbs to turn out in the upcoming elections in order to prevent Albin Kurti, through manipulation, from creating cover for the violence he is carrying out.

“Pristina has thrown down the gauntlet by terminating the moratorium on the campaign of recognitions and derecognitions. In the coming months it will be seen what we have done in that field. We have done certain things, but we did not want to boast about them,” Djuric told RTS, announcing that this would also be a topic at the upcoming Ambassadors’ Conference in Belgrade.

He called on Serbs to go to the polls on Sunday in Kosovo and vote for the Serb List, which, he stresses, is the umbilical cord between the Serbian people in Kosovo and the rest of Serbia.

“I call on all our compatriots in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija to go out to the polls on Sunday. The Serb List is the umbilical cord between our people in Kosovo and Metohija and the rest of Serbia. It is very important that we send 10 out of 10 members of parliament from the Serb List to parliament who will represent the Serbian people,” Djuric explained.

He warned that any other scenario would be used by Kurti’s regime to marginalize the vast majority of people and to choose a politically suitable Serb who supports Kosovo’s independence as a minister.

“With that manipulation he wants to create the impression that Serbs are with him and to create cover for the violence he has carried out. We must not allow that and we must show the international community that Kurti’s violence has not broken the Serbs. I am convinced that we will endure the period of Kurti’s rule and welcome new times. For that, it is necessary that Serbs go out to the elections,” Djuric underlined.

He said that we are living in an era in which we must take into account that relations between the great powers are strained to the maximum, so our resilience is important, not only in energy, but also in defense.

He said that he is optimistic that in the coming weeks the situation surrounding NIS will be resolved positively and that Serbia will have a good year in 2026 for Serbian positioning with all other actors.

“Our reserves were prepared for the situation that has occurred. Relations between the great powers are strained and there is no concern about how much their conflicts can leave consequences for small countries,” Djuric emphasized.

He stressed that Serbia is resilient and that it will emerge from this episode stronger, with more diversified sources of supply.

He expressed confidence that Serbia will overcome this crisis and begin the New Year with a positively resolved situation, which is the goal.

Djuric also said that he expects the NIS episode to be successfully resolved in the coming weeks.

He emphasized that the state of Serbia has shown seriousness and responsibility regarding the supply situation and that reserves were prepared for such a situation.
He pointed out that in a situation of strained relations among great powers, it is also important that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has invested in strengthening defense, as well as the economy, which has doubled in less than a decade.

He stressed that Serbia did not cause the current problem, but that it will actively contribute to its resolution.

Responding to the question of whether he expects a green light from Washington, he said that we cannot hope that the great powers will easily stop settling scores over our backs.
“We have a constructive approach to the solution,” Djuric added.

When it comes to relations with the United States, Djuric underlined that it must not be forgotten that the administration of Donald Trump suspended strategic dialogue with Pristina due to violations of the human rights of Serbs in Kosovo, and that the approach toward Bosnia and Herzegovina, that is, the situation regarding the Republic of Srpska, is somewhat better.

“I am absolutely optimistic that in the coming weeks the situation around NIS will be resolved positively and that in 2026 we will have a good year also for Serbian-American relations, for Serbia’s positioning with all other key actors in the international community. We pursue a multi-vector policy, we will open new diplomatic and consular missions and strengthen our overall capacities to protect our national interests,” he said.

According to him, Serbia has a clearly established course and direction, dating back to the time of Saint Sava, that it stands above divisions between East and West, which is embedded in the DNA of its foreign policy that is clearly profiled.

“Our foreign policy is clearly profiled, we are moving firmly toward the EU, and everything that depends on us, that is not a political decision, we undertake. For the fifth year, the European Commission has proposed further progress for Serbia. You have North Macedonia, which has not had the polarization that we faced this year, which for 30 years has done everything expected of it, yet for political reasons, EU member states do not approve its progress,” Djuric explained.

We are doing everything that is up to us, and the reforms we implement are carried out for our sake and not because of bureaucratic regulations, the minister noted.

Speaking about the upcoming Ambassadors’ Conference, Djuric emphasized that it is an opportunity for Serbia’s ambassadors and consuls general from around the world to hear the priorities of Serbia’s policy and exchange their experiences.

He pointed out that, as far as Europe is concerned, the reality is that Serbia is located on the European continent and that 62 percent of exports go to the EU.

“An additional 15 percent of exports go to the eight countries that surround us. That is 77 percent of exports that go to Europe. That is the reality, and on the other hand we can be angry that what our society has achieved is not sufficiently valued,” he explained.

Djuric added that discussions on strategy for different regions will be held through thematic panels.

Asked about relations with Russia, he said that since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Serbia has been facing a situation under difficult circumstances.

“We have received over 300,000 refugees, both from Ukraine and from Russia. We treat those people the same as our own citizens. We consistently advocate for peace. We support all initiatives that can lead to a peaceful solution. We are grateful to Moscow for supporting us regarding Kosovo and Metohija, as do some other actors in the UN Security Council, such as China, when it comes to territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Djuric emphasized.

He underlined that Serbia, in this delicate situation, adheres to a clear principle, namely the UN Charter and international law, that it is against violent and armed conflict and the violation of territorial integrity and sovereignty.

“We adhere clearly to those principles and to our national interests,” he said.