Macut meets UN official: Serbia appreciates UNMIK’s role in protecting Serbs, but there is room for more active engagement

Serbian Prime Minister Djuro Macut stated today, during a meeting with the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, that Serbia appreciates the role played by United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo in protecting the non-Albanian population, particularly Serbs in Kosovo, but believes there remains considerable room for more active engagement in this area.

Lacroix reaffirmed the United Nations’ full and continuous support for the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and agreed with the Prime Minister that constructive dialogue remains the only path toward sustainable stability.

Lacroix also conveyed his sincere condolences to Macut on the death of Senior Sergeant Milovan Jovanovic, a member of the Serbian Armed Forces who was killed while serving in a UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon on 4 June this year. Macut thanked him and emphasized that Serbia remains committed to participation in peacekeeping operations around the world, continuing the tradition established by the former Yugoslavia with its first deployment to the Sinai mission in 1967.

The UN Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations is responsible for the strategic management, oversight, and coordination of numerous UN missions worldwide, including UNMIK.

Gasic Meets with Lacroix: Serbia a Factor of Stability in the Region

Lacroix also met with Serbian Defence Minister Bratislav Gasic, who stressed that Serbia is a factor of stability in the region, committed to military neutrality, maintaining good relations with all interested parties, and safeguarding its territorial integrity and sovereignty as one of its foremost national interests.

Gasic emphasized that the issue of Kosovo remains Serbia’s foremost domestic and foreign policy priority, as well as its greatest political and security challenge.

The meeting also addressed the presence and activities of UNMIK in Kosovo, alongside the Kosovo Force, which were described as being of exceptional importance for ensuring the security of the Serbian and other non-Albanian communities, according to a statement issued by Serbia’s Ministry of Defence.

Gasic underlined that any solution emerging from the Belgrade–Pristina dialogue must be in accordance with Serbia’s Constitution, United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244, the Military-Technical Agreement, and other relevant international documents.

Lacroix noted that Serbia makes a significant contribution to United Nations peacekeeping operations and acknowledged the high price paid by the Serbian Armed Forces in contributing to global peace. He also praised the professionalism of Serbian peacekeepers.

He expressed confidence that the successful partnership would continue in the future and reaffirmed that the United Nations and UNMIK remain committed not only to implementing the mandate established by Resolution 1244 but also to upholding the broader values of the United Nations.

Gasic further stressed that Serbia is a predictable and reliable partner of the United Nations, committed to preserving peace and stability worldwide under the UN framework. He added that Serbia is interested in further strengthening cooperation with the UN, given that it is one of the largest European contributors to peacekeeping operations and hosts UNMIK on its territory.

The Defence Minister also thanked Lacroix, his team, and the United Nations for their sincere condolences following the death of Senior Sergeant Milovan Jovanovic.

Jovanovic and Lacroix: Preserve UNMIK’s Role in Kosovo and Regular Security Council Reviews

During a separate meeting between State Secretary at the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nevena Jovanovic and Lacroix, the parties highlighted the important role of UNMIK in Kosovo and the need to preserve its operations in an unchanged capacity, as well as to maintain the practice of regularly reviewing the mission’s reports during open-format sessions of the United Nations Security Council.

According to the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the interlocutors also exchanged views on the importance of United Nations peacekeeping operations and Serbia’s contribution to maintaining international peace and security.

Jovanovic emphasized that Serbia remains committed to multilateralism and cooperation with the United Nations, and that it will continue to make an active contribution to missions operating under the UN mandate.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the interlocutors expressed their expectation that the partnership between Serbia and the United Nations would continue to develop further in the period ahead across all areas of mutual interest.