Vucic at the commemorative Academy in Belgrade: We love Kosovo and Metohija more than anything, we will not let you take our freedom away

“Serbia is an independent, free, and sovereign country, we love Kosovo and Metohija more than anything, and we will never let you take away our freedom," Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said at the commemorative Academy at the National Theatre marking the Remembrance Day of March 17, 2004 - the Pogrom in Kosovo and Metohija. Speaking about the tragedy that befell the Serbs in Kosovo, he added that he was not sure if there was justice, but that no one could take away our right to the truth.

The Academy began with the national anthem "Boze pravde," followed by an address from President Aleksandar Vucic.

"When we gather on these occasions, we fulfill our obligation, but we say little and analyze what happened, what resulted from it, and what we should do in the future.

"I will talk about March 17 from 20 years ago, about my helplessness and the helplessness of the Serbian state, and the inability, despite the bravery of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, to defend themselves from the Albanian plague. But I will also speak about what we are going through today and try to give indications of what the future holds and what we should do," Vucic said.

He adds that when 20 years pass since the crime is without justice for the victims, without punishment for the perpetrators, the question arises of what remains for us.

"What can we say to ourselves, to the world, and above all to the Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija, who experienced the Pogrom on March 17, 2004, when ten of them were killed, nearly 10,000 injured, 4,000 permanently expelled from their homes, 900 houses destroyed, and 35 churches and monasteries damaged. I am not sure if there is justice, but there is something that no one can take away from them or from us, the right to the truth," Vucic said.

"And no matter how much they present truth as something worthless in today's world, I believe that it is the light without which we would live in eternal darkness. We need it, and without it, we cannot even when they try to convince us that we don't know what we're talking about. And that's not stubbornness. It's a refusal to live without light and to be forgotten. In a world without principles buried in trenches, in a world rushing towards ruin, we must have that bastion from which we can survive. And of course, not everyone will want to accept the truth because it's not pleasant. It cannot be avoided or skipped. As they say, it's glaring and unsettling, so it's rejected so vehemently. Schopenhauer argued that truth must pass through three stages: first, it is ridiculed, in the second, it is fought against, and only in the third is it understood and accepted. We have passed the stage of ridicule, and today we live in violent rejection of truth and in a fierce battle against it," Vucic emphasized.

He also points out that Serbia is being presented with the idea that there are different truths and that they can be interpreted differently depending on the circumstances.

"In Ukraine, the principle of inviolability of state borders was violated, indeed. But not in Serbia. The attack on Ukraine is illegitimate, but the one carried out against Serbia by 19 countries without the consent of the UN Security Council, contrary to international law, is not. Violating international law in Ukraine is unacceptable, we agree, but in Serbia, it's acceptable. And despite all that, who cares? The whole world rushes to defend Ukraine when it's attacked, even mentioning the Third World War, but when Serbia is attacked, when someone takes away a part of its territory, they say, why aren't you grateful when we take your territory? And when we say all this, for Serbia, we ask for the same as for others in the world, we're accused of being violent, demanding too much, endangering others, arming ourselves, and being an eternal threat. In this atmosphere, we reach the twentieth anniversary of the Pogrom against our people in Kosovo and Metohija, the Pogrom that is ongoing and continuing, and some want to carry it out to the end, to the last Serb in Kosovo and Metohija," the President emphasized.

He added that throughout all those years, Serbia had not endangered anyone.

"We haven't attacked anyone, nor have we threatened anyone, and for a good part of the time, we remained silent, pretending not to exist, just so we wouldn't upset those who did all this to us. Churchill claimed that every morning a lie goes around the world while the truth is still putting on its pants. That's true, but it doesn't mean that we'll take off our pants because of it. No, we'll dress up completely, put on a bow tie, look good, and continue to speak the truth, and nothing but the truth. And I'll try to explain what happened from another angle that can't describe the pain and suffering of our people in Kosovo and this wonderful nation who lost fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, grandmothers, wives, and their loved ones. The truth is that forgetting the context and the year 2004, that this is happening to us only three or four years after the so-called great democratic changes and promises that everything would be resolved democratically," he emphasized.

Vucic stressed that the "great West and the great world were only against Milosevic.“

"'Kosovo is Serbian, they'll give it to us right away, on a silver platter.' Then comes the horrific crime against our people amidst the talk of 'standards before status'. The status is unknown, first, let's resolve the standards. And then they establish those standards for us, which is that when they come out with the false story about the three allegedly slain Albanian boys for whom the supposed Serbian persecutors were to blame, which was later established to be a heinous lie, and which is still being repeated today by those in power in Pristina, while those who supported them then and now remain silent about it. Then, rapidly, right after these events, the Serbs are brought to the table for the first time with Hashim Thaci and everyone else, and shortly thereafter, Kosovo is pushed towards full independence from the perspective of Western powerbrokers, our great allies, who promised us freedom, territorial integrity, and said that it's all Serbian, only democracy in Serbia interests them," the President conveyed.

"Then, in 2008, despite pleas from here, 'Wait a few months for us to win the elections,' they made the decision on Kosovo's independence, and in just a few months, more than 80 countries recognized it. Everything that happened on March 17, 2004, had only one goal: Darko was right, it was an organized action, prepared, and devised, not out of the anger or rage of wonderful people who witnessed the injustice that happened to the boys from Cabra near Zubin Potok. No, all of this was prepared and coordinated, to subsequently obtain the Ahtisaari Plan, Vienna negotiations, and full independence for Kosovo. Throughout all this time, we Serbs talked about what terribly happened to our people, but in political terms, we failed to analyze what they were doing to us," Vucic said.

He reminded that Serbia had lost a lot since 2008, and then in 2012 and 2013.

"More than half of the world recognized Kosovo's independence. We had almost no chance, it wasn't easy to negotiate in Brussels, and we had to do it in several ways that people must understand, and for the first time, I'm speaking in this manner. We didn't inherit the same position we had. We inherited a position in which Kosovo was already independent in the eyes of the Western world. We didn't come into the position we were in 1998 or 1995. We came into a position in which Kosovo was considered independent by a good part of the world. In such conditions, peace must be preserved and life secured for our people in Kosovo and Metohija, development ensured for the entire Serbia, and the future preserved. As painful and difficult as that agreement was, it was a chance for us to preserve the next few years in which we will achieve accelerated development and progress to show that we are a serious partner to those in the West who deceived us by claiming they want 'standards before status,' that they do not want to violate international law, and that they are strictly bound by UN norms," the President stated.

He pointed out that after that, it had become evident that nothing from the Brussels Agreement, which had been an Albanian obligation, had ever been fulfilled.

"We saw that they won't do it. Today, Borrell comes out with the anniversary of the Ohrid Agreement, which we didn't sign, but he never comes out with the anniversary of the Brussels Agreement. Soon it will be 12 years since the first, basic Brussels Agreement, they don't mention it. Because that would offend the Albanians because the CSM has something to do with it. They won't even talk about the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities, or anything else. And our Western partners will never say a word to them, it's their baby they rock in the cradle that they will cherish forever. What should we do? Especially today, when slightly less than half of the world, and the entire Western world, recognizes the independence of Kosovo. We can, today, when we see that neither their word nor signature is worth almost anything, not Albanians because theirs never was, but those who brought them to the table. We can tell them not to tell us anymore that we agreed, but to tell us: 'This was imposed.' Maybe we can't do something differently, but we can say that you imposed it on us, that it's not the will of Serbia," Vucic emphasized.

He added that Serbia was waiting and would stand by its people.

"We will always find ways, no matter how difficult it may be, to finance our people in Kosovo and Metohija. That is our obligation and debt to the people in Kosovo and Metohija. Our partners must know, that you can carry out whatever actions, weaken our government, or exile me, as long as I am in the position of the President of Serbia, as long as I am in the position of the President of Serbia, we will never accept the results of the Pogrom or the independence of Kosovo. For us, it will always be a part of Serbia. One more thing, whatever you do, keep in mind that there are people who don't always have to worry about themselves and what will happen to them personally. Some people think about the future, and you cannot defeat them with threats. That's why I say, Serbia is an independent, free, and sovereign country, we love freedom more than anything, we love Kosovo and Metohija more than anything, and we will never let you take our freedom away. I'll say more, even though you are pushing your offspring. It's not a problem, if you want to help them, you won't have us," said Vucic.

He emphasized that Serbia was smart and brave enough.

"We have learned a lot and gained experience after everything you have done to us to wait for the best moment and fight for our opportunity. We will always be open to partnership, to dialogue. But you must understand well, that you have done a lot of harm to the Serbs. You threaten Banjska every day. You know why Banjska happened. Because they lied to those boys who were at the barricades. I misled them and told them they wouldn't be chased like rabbits. As soon as the barricades were removed, they started chasing them. Some wanted to protect their home and defend freedom. It doesn't hurt me that they think they can humiliate us and accuse us of terrorism. It hurts me when we have such things in Serbia. They didn't attack those boys, me, or you because they like some more, but because they want to break Serbia. And it is our duty to tell them, we are small, but firm and strong, that we will never give in to you, never disgrace ourselves. We will protect honor and dignity because freedom is above all. That's what we will preserve!" the President of Serbia stated.

He also added that he had been the President of the Republic for long enough, and soon he would be the longest-serving president in history.

"All this time, they have been trying to scare and intimidate me, to explain to me how badly I will fare if I don't serve those who are the most powerful. But my job is to say that I have done my best to fight for the people in Kosovo and Metohija. Always in good faith for our people. Is it always successful? No. When you're almost alone. And yet, alone, we managed to preserve the spark of freedom and identity of our people in Kosovo and Metohija. In conclusion, I want to tell you that the past few months have been of crucial importance to the Serbs. Not only in Serbia, but also in the region," Vucic said.

Finally, he expressed his desire to pay tribute tonight to the shadows of Serbian heroes who fell in Kosovo and Metohija.

"You did not fall in vain. We appreciate everything you did for your homeland. We will never allow the Serbian name and surname to be trampled. Long live Serbia, long live Kosovo and Metohija, and our people in Kosovo and Metohija!" Vucic concluded.