Vucic: The bombing of the FRY created a precedent that is now returning like a boomerang

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic stated today that, until recently, the modern world upheld legal norms and principles—now largely erased—and emphasized that it all began with the 1999 NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, a precedent that is now coming back “like a boomerang.”

“In the modern world, until recently, everyone at least invoked law and principles—even when they were violating them. There existed a moral obligation to justify any unlawful action, to show that there was a sufficient reason to act and that it aligned with legal norms. This changed in 1999, with the bombing of the FRY. That act created a precedent, one that didn’t initially resonate globally, because the so-called liberal world—the Western hemisphere—was so dominant that no one could imagine it would later return with consequences,” Vucic said while addressing the International Student Forum “Freedom and Sovereignty of Nations in the 21st Century.”

The President stressed that the situation has worsened, as today there is no attempt at justification—no rules are observed, and no one bothers to explain why a sovereign state is attacked or bombed.

“In today's world, when we talk about sovereignty, freedom, and respect for international law, we—those without power—must understand that power in international relations tolerates no competition. Powerful countries always seek to assert their dominance. Therefore, we must connect and cooperate. Small nations have erred by trying to appease the powerful to secure their own survival. In the long term, that is a mistake. The more sustainable path lies in uniting countries into blocs capable of resisting those who consider themselves above the law. We must adhere to international law—because it is the only thing we have left. Even if it exists only on paper today, and won’t return in practice for at least another ten years, until a true multilateral and multipolar world emerges,” Vucic said.

He highlighted the importance of solidarity among smaller states, particularly in times of hardship, as only then will they cease to be weak or vulnerable.

The President warned that the post-anti-colonial era has now evolved into an even greater danger of neo-colonialism, as former colonial powers have merely changed their tactics.

“They no longer always use military boots—though they will, when they simply don’t care—but instead act through intelligence services, elements of the NGO sector, parts of the global and local media networks, and financial influence, all in pursuit of goals set 50 or 60 years ago. Their problem is that we have learned the lessons much faster—we’ve understood where our weaknesses lie,” Vucic explained.

He said this is why global tensions and hysteria are growing—because even these new methods are no longer sufficient to control the minds of people, especially in smaller countries who think differently.

He added that while “color revolutions” continue to cause major damage, their success is diminishing despite substantial financial investment.

“They will now need to devise new methods—not just through social media—but ways to buy the minds, consciences, intelligence, and souls of the disobedient,” Vucic warned.

He underlined that the most important thing is to preserve freedom.

“We will continue to uphold the law and follow the rules. We will not threaten anyone, but we have understood all the messages. That is why we are strengthening our country—politically, economically, militarily, and in every way—so that those who play by no rules won’t even consider making Serbia their next target,” Vucic said.

The President also pointed out that Serbs have been systematically denied the rights that are granted to others.

“Our people—among the very few—are not allowed to enjoy the rights that others do. If you look through history, you will see that rights were granted to many other nations, but not to the Serbs. We have been seen as a threat in the Balkans—a people too large to control,” he noted.

He recalled that coalitions were always formed against the Serbs, and that the narrative of Serbian territorial ambitions predates even the 1878 Berlin Congress.

“That narrative hasn’t changed, and it won’t change. A few years ago, we launched the 'Open Balkan' initiative with great enthusiasm and achieved a great deal. But then Germany turned one of its member states away—because Balkan nations must not be allowed to decide sovereignly, and Serbia’s strong economic rise had to be curbed,” Vucic said.

He stressed that only the Serbs were denied the right to self-determination.

“From the former Yugoslavia, Slovenia, Croatia—even though a large portion of its population were Serbs—and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is divided among three nations, were allowed to ‘separate.’ But Serbs were not allowed to form their own national state from any of those territories.”

Vucic said that Serbia must remain united and strong as a nation, without threatening anyone else’s rights, while adhering to international law—because there is little alternative.

“Our strength lies in the fact that we know no one can endanger the survival of the Serbian people on their ancestral land,” he stated.

“Serbia today is politically and otherwise strong enough that no one can attack the Serbian people—not in a way that would result in an exodus. Yet many are trying to do just that in the region, particularly in Pristina, with broad international support,” Vucic warned again.

He also noted that opening borders was a crucial issue for both Bosniaks and Serbs, but emphasized that “there is so much mistrust that it is difficult to have meaningful dialogue under current conditions.”

Commenting on the U.S. decision to extend the "national emergency" declared in 2001 for another year, Vucic said that this is not a policy shift but a continuation of a 24-year-old approach in which law and justice are absent.

“They have brutally violated UN Security Council Resolution 1244, just as Western powers—not only the U.S.—have egregiously undermined the Dayton Agreement by steadily stripping competencies from the Republic of Srpska. They talk deceitfully about the ‘spirit of Dayton,’ when what matters are the words, the contractual norms—not some imaginary spirit,” Vucic remarked.

He reiterated that this is not a new policy, but one that has persisted for 24 years.

“For 24 years we’ve been hearing the same narrative. The same policy continues. Nothing new for us. We live in a world where law and justice no longer exist—today, even less so. In the past, these countries at least pretended to adhere to something—the UN Charter, when it suited them. Today, they don’t even pretend. They feel entitled to attack anyone simply because they can. The world is in disorder and chaos. Our job is to protect and strengthen our country—economically, politically, militarily—and to ensure that Serbia is not an easy target,” Vucic concluded.

Asked whether he expects a further postponement of U.S. sanctions against Serbia’s oil industry, Vucic responded that he hopes so.

“I don’t expect it, but I hope we’ll get another month. We are working on it,” he said, adding that the outcome would be known later today or tomorrow.

The International Student Forum “Freedom and Sovereignty of Nations in the 21st Century” was organized by the Svetozar Miletic Foundation to encourage youth engagement, facilitate the exchange of experiences among domestic and international students, and foster a spirit of freedom and independence.

The Forum in Belgrade brought together more than 300 students from Serbia and abroad.