Vucic’s U.N. Address: What is the Difference Between Serbia and Ukraine?

Aleksandar Vucic (BETAPHOTO/MILOS MISKOV)

President Aleksandar Vucic has stated that Serbia supports the territorial integrity of all U.N. member countries, including Ukraine, but also expressed his desire to know the difference between the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine vs. that of Serbia.

Speaking before the Sept. 21 U.N. General Assembly in New York, Vucic said that he has “yet to hear a rational response to the question of what the difference is between the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine [vs. that of] Serbia, which has been grossly violated.”

“Serbia didn’t set foot on [another country’s] territory nor did it threaten the territorial integrity of any other country to warrant [an outside] intervention. That did not prevent NATO’s 19 richest countries from attacking a sovereign state without the U.N.’s permission,” Vucic said during the General Debate, referencing NATO’s 1999 bombing of the former Yugoslavia.

The president added that Serbia would, “patiently and with much good will,” continue to seek a compromise with Kosovo within the EU mediated negotiations. “A compromise is the only way to achieve lasting peace. We’ve exhausted all other options and are not even considering a return to war and bloodshed,” Vucic stated.

He went on to say that the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue is taking place “under very complex circumstances [that include] elements of hybrid warfare and smear campaigns in certain countries.” “To prevent Serbia from stating the truth – that the principle of inviolable borders must hold true across the board – the country is being represented as a destabilizing factor for the region,” the president explained.

According to him, this year’s General Debate is taking place at a time when “global peace has been undermined to an extent not witnessed since World War II and the founding of the U.N.” Vucic’s address comprised five chapters: “The return to peace and safeguarding global stability,” “Maintaining the territorial integrity and international sovereignty of recognized, U.N. member states as a key principle of international public law and inter-state relations,” “Energy security in times of global crisis,” “The financial security of poor and developing countries” and “Food supply i.e. global food supply chains disrupted by war.”