Respecting the UN Charter is not a choice but an obligation, and its disregard, particularly in the case of Serbia, is a precursor to the problems the world is facing today, Serbia’s Aleksandar Vučić spoke told the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
“The only value that remains for great powers is principles, but false ones,” he said, highlighting that the application of double standards is at play.
“The attempt to partition my country, formally initiated in 2008 with the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo and Metohija, is ongoing,” Vučić stated.
He also cautioned that the application of double standards serves as an open invitation to those who, in violation of international law and basic human morality, pursue their interests through war and violence.
The Serbian president mentioned that a German minister had stated that Germany firmly adheres to the UN Charter and UN decisions and acts and that they will never deviate from this path.
“All of this would be nice if it were true. Almost all major Western powers have brutally violated both the UN Charter and UN Resolution 1244 adopted in this esteemed chamber, denying and trampling upon the very principles they defend today, and this happened 24 and exactly 15 years ago,” Vučić said.
According to him, for the first time in world history, 19 of the most powerful countries made a decision, without the involvement of the UN Security Council – without any decision by the UN Security Council – to ruthlessly attack and punish a sovereign country on European soil, as they claimed, to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe.
Serbia has never set foot on the territory of another state or threatened its existence, but 24 years ago, those 19 most powerful nations showed no mercy to small Serbia, Vučić noted.
“When they ‘finished’ that job, they said that the issue of Kosovo is a democratic one and will be resolved by the UN Charter and other international legal acts,” he added.
According to him, principles do not change from one situation to another; they apply not only to the strong but to everyone. If that is not the case, then they are no longer principles.
“Therefore, I believe that in the modern world, either principles will be established, and the same rules will apply to all, or we will end up as a world in the deepest divisions in our history, in the most serious conflicts, and in problems from which we will not emerge,” Vučić concluded.
(Jelena Nikolic | Euractiv.rs)
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