Djuric: Serbia achieved important diplomatic success; we are one step closer to international isolation of Pristina

Serbia's Ambassador to the United States, Marko Djuric, speaking about the UN Security Council session, stated in an interview with Novosti that Serbia had achieved a significant diplomatic success, which, although appearing small, represented a significant step toward broader international condemnation of unilateral acts by the current Pristina regime. He added that UN member states had not remained silent about the terror against the Serbian population in Kosovo but had expressed serious disagreement with Kurti's actions and drastic measures.

Djuric adds that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti's actions, day by day, not only deliberately endanger the survival of Serbs in Kosovo but also pose a threat to peace and stability in the region.

"We have every reason to be proud of President Vucic's speech before the most important forum of the United Nations because his address sounded the alarm that even representatives of UN member states that recognize Kosovo – not just representatives of non-recognizing states – openly declared support for Serbia," Djuric said.

He states that Kurti, through his actions, "primarily by presenting his characteristic manipulations and false constructions of reality, has now shown his true face to the whole world."

"The international community has recognized this, and I expect that in the coming period, we will see the concretization of the condemnation of his actions through broader sanction mechanisms and stricter measures by key global actors, which will thwart his attempts to completely eliminate the Serbian presence in Kosovo and Metohija," he said.

He adds that we are now definitely one step closer to the international isolation of Pristina and stopping the ideology of hatred toward Serbs, motivated solely by Kurti and his followers.

Djuric reminds that the emergency Security Council session was convened at Serbia's request and was open to the public.

According to him, it was an opportunity to directly and transparently hear the Serbian voice and present the truth about what is happening in Kosovo, which the president did in a serious, well-argued, and dignified manner.

"It is very significant that such a large number of members responded to the invitation and participated in the discussion, expressing a negative attitude toward the Pristina side. We appreciate the condemnation and the US's stance that Pristina's actions undermine the negotiation process, as well as their call for restraint from uncoordinated and escalatory actions, such as the ban on the use of the dinar and the increased number of police raids by Kosovo Albanians in Serbian institutions in municipalities in western Kosovo and Metohija," he adds.

Regarding Russia and China insisting on Resolution 1244, Djuric says that President Vucic repeatedly emphasized the importance of the Resolution and cited specific examples of its constant violation and undermining of Serbia's territorial integrity and sovereignty.

According to him, as an official document of the UN body, the Resolution cannot be challenged because it was adopted by UN member states as the most important international organization.

"We are grateful to our traditional friends, as well as many other countries that, in their addresses, called for respect for the UN Charter and Resolution 1244. This is evidence that Serbia has friends worldwide who adhere to the principles of international law and support finding a compromise solution to our most important national issue. The Serbian delegation, led by President Vucic, achieved a diplomatic success for our country, but ahead of us is still a serious battle, and I know that we will, as long as the world exists, fight for Serbia and our people," Djuric emphasizes.

Asked how realistic it is to expect the Kosovo issue to return to the United Nations, Djuric says that President Vucic did just that on Thursday at the UN headquarters with his strong, direct, and factually supported speech.

"He returned the issue of Kosovo and Metohija to the framework of the international community, where, as he reminded, representatives of the majority of the world's population who do not support the illegitimate, supposed statehood of Kosovo are located. And not only that, we had the opportunity to hear serious concern from 13 out of 15 Security Council members about Kurti's recent decision to ban the use of the dinar for payment, as well as condemnation of that move by four out of five permanent members of the UN Security Council," he emphasizes.

Asked if Serbia should continue its European path if the Franco-German plan becomes part of Chapter 35, Djuric says that President Vucic has repeatedly emphasized to our European and global public that Serbia will never recognize the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo or accept any document that would entail an obligation to support or assist Kosovo's membership in the UN or any organizations or agencies within the UN.

"We will always, everywhere, and on every issue, be guided solely by the interests of our people and will do everything to preserve peace and stability. We continually demonstrate that we are ready for dialogue, but the other side does not cease to undermine the dialogue under the auspices of the EU with unilateral, harmful, and malicious acts directly aimed at the exodus of the Serbian population in Kosovo and Metohija," he notes.

Regarding the elections in the United States, Djuric says that he would not delve into speculations about US domestic politics.

"What I can say is that our state leadership, regardless of the outcome of the November elections, will continue to cooperate with the US administration with the same intensity, equally with Republican and Democratic representatives in Congress, aiming to further improve our bilateral relations and create new opportunities for our country and our citizens in Serbia, as well as in America," he says.

Asked about the important function awaiting him in Belgrade, given that it has been announced that he is returning, Djuric states that he is ready to continue working and fighting.

He reminds that his mandate is now expiring and that he would certainly return to Serbia.

"I am glad that we have managed to raise Serbia's profile here and create a better diplomatic infrastructure for our representation. Party bodies will decide on specific functions," Djuric adds.