Pantic Pilja at the Council of Europe: By recognizing Kosovo you opened Pandora’s box

On the second day of the session of the Council of Europe Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy, a resolution on violations of international public law in relation to Greenland was discussed, and the head of the Serbian delegation, Biljana Pantic Pilja, stated that by recognizing Kosovo, a Pandora’s box had been opened and that current developments are a consequence of that.

“You mention the principles contained in the United Nations Charter relating to sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in the internal affairs of states – excellent, but also very hypocritical. You speak about international law and power politics, and I ask you – what about Serbia? Does international law not apply to Serbia, do the principles of the UN Charter not apply? How long will you apply double standards? The UN Charter and international law apply to everyone without exception. You speak about power politics, yet you used precisely that policy when you recognized the so-called Kosovo outside all the principles of the UN Charter,” Pantic Pilja said.

She added that Serbia, as President Aleksandar Vucic has repeatedly emphasized, supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states, including Denmark and Ukraine.

“By recognizing the so-called Kosovo and violating international law you opened Pandora’s box and everything that is happening in the world today is a direct consequence of that. Stop being hypocritical and respect international law and the borders of all countries, without exception,” she emphasized.

Aleksandar Mirkovic in his address, as Pantic Pilja said, pointed out that international public law had already been trampled in 1999 during the NATO bombing of Serbia. According to her, Mirkovic said that international law was violated when Serbia was bombed for 78 days “simply because the strong and powerful decided so,” as reported by Novosti.

Pantic Pilja said that Western countries during the NATO bombing in 1999, together with the United States, tried to break Serbia.

“At that time the United States were your best friends and together with them you tried to break a small country, but a great people, and you did not succeed. The final act of trampling all charters and principles happened in 2008 with the recognition of the false state of Kosovo and at that time you did not care that by force you were taking 14 percent of my country,” she said.

She added that today the same terms and arguments are being used that Serbia has invoked for years in defending international law.

“Today you use the same terms and sentences, you rely on the same arguments that we have been using for years in defending not only Serbia but also international law, and I wonder whether you feel even a little uncomfortable. With Aleksandar Vucic at its head, Serbia consistently respects international law, and you? I warned you that what you did to us would return like a boomerang, and that has happened. In the end, Kosovo is Serbia, and if for you it is not, then you cannot speak about international law,” Pantic Pilja said.