Vucic: Kosovo will be the most important part of my speech

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, stated today at the beginning of his visit to New York, where he will participate in the UN General Assembly, that Kosovo will certainly be the most important part of the discussions and speeches he will give.

President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, stated today at the beginning of his stay in New York, where he is participating in the UN General Assembly, that Kosovo will certainly be the most important part of his discussions and speech.

"Kosovo and Metohija will be the most important part of my speech. I will also remind people of the words of our representatives in the UN in 1999. It will be interesting to recall that, as some of those words were prophetic in relation to what is happening today. We will seek support wherever we can in the world. I will have discussions with the President of Iran and participate in a 'Balkan lunch,' where there’s always someone from outside," he added.

Vucic said that the measures Serbia has taken regarding the difficult situation for Serbs in Kosovo cannot solve all their problems but are steps to ensure their survival.

He criticized those in Serbia calling for the abolition of the Brussels Agreement, stating that it is "the only platform we stand on."

"If it's abolished," he added, "the West, which made the decision to recognize Kosovo, will be eager for it, especially those in power who now call for its abolition."

He emphasized that Kosovo will, of course, be his main topic and noted that his speech at the UN General Assembly would be engaging and, like his previous two speeches, one of the most widely read.

The West and Turkey openly ignore international law and arm the KSF

In response to a question regarding the Kosovo Minister of Defense’s statement about the further transformation of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) and its additional armament, including the acquisition of helicopters next year, Vucic pointed out that despite UN Security Council Resolution 1244, which prohibits Kosovo from having an armed force, the West and Turkey disregard this and openly arm them.

"According to UN Security Council Resolution 1244, and people often forget this—I will speak about it—they have no right to form any kind of armed forces. Yet, they turned the KLA into their army. First, the KSF, and then into an army," Vucic said.

He added that during his stay in New York, he would have meetings with important U.S. officials, with whom he would discuss Kosovo.

"But it’s important to mention how they interpret it. When we ask why they violate the Resolution and the UN Charter—since the West and Turkey are the ones arming them—they respond by saying the situation has changed. And when we ask how it has changed, since Resolution 1244 has neither been repealed nor annulled, they answer that it changed when they recognized Kosovo's independence in 2008 and 2009," Vucic explained.

They openly state that they are not concerned with international law.

"They openly say, 'We don't care about the international legal order or international law. We are stronger, and we can do what we want.' That's their response," the Serbian president pointed out.

He added that the U.S. and the U.K. are training personnel from Kosovo, which doesn't pose a threat to the Serbian army but could endanger the survival of Serbs in Kosovo.

"They have good, trained personnel, no doubt about that. We know the numbers, and while it's not a threat to the Serbian army, it certainly threatens the survival of Serbs in Kosovo," Vucic warned.

Major differences between the Global South and Western powers

President Vucic told reporters that there are significant differences when it comes to global peace.

"Regarding the topic of my speech, you'll see only part of it today, and it will be more detailed in my speech at the UN. I will speak about Serbia's position and what is important for our country, but also about the collapse of all international laws," Vucic emphasized before today's address at the Summit on the Future, part of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.

He noted that many had doubts about whether this summit could function.

"Antonio Guterres laid out five key points: sustainable development, peace and security, energy and climate change, youth and their future, and the transformation of governance. Through the resolutions adopted by the UN, everyone is once again seeking solutions for multilateralism. But what I can say is that there is a Global South and the major Western powers. There are vast differences between them, including in terms of financing. The West doesn't want to dismantle its financial architecture," Vucic explained.

He announced that he would meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan later today to discuss many important topics.

He also mentioned that during the UN General Assembly, he will deliver his speech on Tuesday between 7:30 and 8:00 PM Serbian time, in which he will primarily address the violation of all principles of international public law, as well as the situation in Kosovo.

Vucic emphasized that Europe must work to end the war in Ukraine, adding that he believes both the German Chancellor and the French President understand this well.

"Europe must bring an end to the war, and I will speak about this everywhere. I believe, even though we haven't spoken directly, that Scholz understands this perfectly, as does Macron. They must end the war, which is consuming us all," Vucic said.

He pointed out that if it weren't for the war in Ukraine, all countries would have a higher growth rate, which would lead to general progress in both optimism and the economy.

"That's why it is crucial to bring an end to it. Somehow, it just needs to stop. As Gandhi said – it's not about finding the path to peace, peace is the path. When we have peace, everything is much easier, and then there is a chance to achieve something," the Serbian president explained.

He also observed that the countries of the Global South are increasingly asserting themselves, that China's power is growing, and that Russia has consolidated itself, while the West seeks to maintain its dominance, making everything more complicated.

Vucic added that, despite expectations for world leaders to adopt a Pact for the Future today in New York, there still hasn't been a decision.

"The Russians and Brazil have objected, and China shares the same view as us—that it's a very good foundation. The Americans say it's a good draft, but no one agrees... Will it be adopted or not—nobody knows," Vucic concluded.