Djuric: Serbia pursues a policy based on a vision of a common European future

Opening the event, the Minister pointed out that the world had been facing extremely difficult, unpredictable and unstable circumstances for a long time, as well as serious challenges and crises, which were becoming increasingly numerous and complex.

"The war in Ukraine, the escalation of the conflict and the humanitarian disaster in Gaza, as well as the significantly higher risks of terrorist threats, testify to the serious threat to global peace and security", Djuric assessed.

The Minister added that, at the same time, all countries were facing serious consequences of the economic, energy and climate crisis, and that it was likely that addressing these problems, as well as the challenges related to migration, economic and social inequality, would remain the focus of the entire international community.

Djuric reminded that back in 2019, President Aleksandar Vucic defined five national priorities of state policy, namely the preservation of domestic political and regional stability, the preservation of independence and autonomy in the decision-making of political institutions, the preservation of our military neutrality, as well as economic development and efforts towards demographic strengthening and recovery of Serbia.

When it comes to Serbia's EU path, the Minister said that full membership was the strategic commitment of our country, but that the accession process was a challenging path that required deep reforms and adaptation.

"We are convinced that this is the best path for the future of our country. European values, principles of democracy, rule of law and human rights are the foundation on which we wish to build our society and institutions", Djuric stated expressing the hope that Serbia's efforts and results achieved on this path would be recognized and adequately evaluated.

He emphasized that our country was pursuing a foreign policy based on the preservation of national and state interests, while respecting the principles of international law. The head of Serbian diplomacy reminded that in 2008 Serbia suffered a historical injustice precisely through a gross violation of international law - the unilaterally declared independence of the so-called Kosovo.

Speaking about the current situation in Kosovo and Metohija, the Minister pointed out that the Serbian community was subjected to systematic harassment and violation of collective human, political and economic rights.

“I believe that this topic deserves not only to be studied, but also public and clear views to be heard from the broader academic community”, Djuric pointed out.

The Minister commended the hosts of the event for their dedicated efforts and wished them a successful gathering, while expressing the hope that the conclusions and recommendations from this international scientific conference would contribute to an even better understanding of international relations.