Starović: Many did not like their reflection in the mirror that President Vučić placed before them in the UN
In his appearance at Television Tanjug, State Secretary Starović said that the speech of President Vučić was clear and factually based in all aspects, and that it had garnered a lot of attention.
In his words, the key question which does not have an adequate, reasonable and acceptable answer, is the question: what is the difference between respecting the territorial integrity of Ukraine and respecting the territorial integrity of Serbia?
“President Vučić emphasised something very important, which is that 23 leaders of various countries, who had all defended the territorial integrity of Ukraine, had spoken before him in UNGA, and as many as 17 were from countries which had brutally violated the territorial integrity of Serbia. In his speech, President Vučić, in a way, placed a mirror in front of them, fully aware that many would not like the reflection it showed. But why would we try to hide the shame of those who have wronged us, while we have not wronged any of these countries?”, stressed State Secretary Starović.
State Secretary Starović said that he believed that President Vučić had no illusions that he would be able to change the positions of certain big and powerful countries.
“It was very important to do that, even though he was aware that many would not forgive him for it, because UNGA was the largest world diplomacy forum, and many of these countries did not have any direct interests relating to our region, but are certainly interested in observing international law, and preserving the fundamental principles that the UN Charter is based on, due to problems which exist in the parts of the world where they are from”, stated State Secretary Starović.
He stressed that Serbia’s position was that essential postulates of the international public law may have their meaning and strength only if they are applied universally, rather than selectively.
“We have been right to point out, since 2008, that the unilateral declaration of independence of the so-called Kosovo could not be treated as a unique case, and that others would use that case a precedent”, said State Secretary Starović. He added that the correctness of Serbia’s position has been reflected in the major success of the derecognition campaign since 2017, when as many as 26 countries decided to withdraw their earlier decisions on the recognition of Kosovo and Metohija.
In his words, the factor that has drastically changed the dynamics of the international relations is the war in Ukraine. He emphasised that President Vučić was often calling attention to the fact that a difficult period was ahead of Serbia and the entire Europe.
“Serbia is under two kinds of pressure: one is the desire of the majority of Western politicians for Serbia to recognise the unilaterally declared recognition of Kosovo and Metohija, one way or another, and the other pressures are about making Serbia join the regime of sanctions against Russia”, said State Secretary Starović. He added that these pressures would increase, and that he could not even rule out the possibility of a brutal ultimatum which Serbia would not be able to accept but would not be allowed to reject.
State Secretary Starović stated that Serbia was committed to dialogue as the only way to achieve compromise, while opposing the policy of unilateral measures that was being pursued by the provisional institutions of Pristina.
“We are emphasising that unilateral measures are unacceptable, that they are jeopardising the dialogue, and that they may result in a destabilisation of the region”, said State Secretary Starović.