Office for Kosovo and Metohija: By fighting for its sovereignty, Serbia protects the foundations of the international legal order

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija announced, on the occasion of the 18th anniversary of the proclamation of Kosovo’s independence, that by fighting for its sovereignty and territorial integrity, Serbia is protecting not only its vital state and national interests, but also the very foundations of the international legal order based on the Charter and values of the United Nations. The statement also points out that the human rights of Serbs in Kosovo are so endangered that it can be said without hesitation that they are the most endangered people on the soil of contemporary Europe.

“Albanian separatist political structures in Kosovo and Metohija are today celebrating the anniversary of what they perceive as a victory of their ideology. However, the unilateral declaration of independence in Pristina 18 years ago is nothing other than a major defeat from the standpoint of international law, as well as a defeat for all those who hoped for the establishment of a normal and orderly peacetime society in Kosovo and Metohija. Serbia’s position is recognized by a large part of humanity, as there is an understanding that the flagrant violation of international law committed by the unilateral declaration of independence of the so-called ‘Kosovo’ represents not only an attack on international law, but also the beginning of a contagion that threatens to endanger the interests of many states that have separatist movements on their territory,” the statement from the Office for Kosovo and Metohija reads.

They add that the decision made in Pristina 18 years ago is also problematic from a moral standpoint, as it created, as they say, an anti-democratic political system based on the systematic deprivation of rights and terror against the Serbian people and their expulsion from their centuries-old homes.

“Over the past 18 years, Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, as victims of the separatist aspirations of extreme Albanian political structures, have faced the full destructiveness of chauvinistic hatred and have been exposed to every kind of violence. The human rights of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija are so endangered that it can be said without any hesitation that they are the most endangered people on the soil of contemporary Europe. Our political and diplomatic struggle for the southern Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija is therefore not only an international legal obligation, but also a moral imperative and the most important national issue, and we will be guided by these principles and care for our people as long as President Aleksandar Vucic is at the helm of Serbia,” the statement from the Office for Kosovo and Metohija concludes.