Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, during his speech at the United Nations General Assembly, said that Kosovo is "an inseparable part of Serbia" and "the main pillar of Serbia's identity, culture and spiritual heritage".
"For us Serbs, it is not just a piece of land, but the cradle of our soul and our existence on this land," Vučić said.
According to him, Serbs in Kosovo are living in "dramatic conditions."
"They are being denied basic human rights: the right to life, to movement, to education and to healthcare. They are being denied access to the workplace and to property," the Serbian leader claimed.
Since the beginning of the year, Kosovo has begun closing down Serbian institutions in Kosovo, which it considers parallel and illegal.
These actions by the Kosovo authorities have met with opposition from the Serbian community and have faced criticism from the international community, which has described them as uncoordinated actions.
During his speech at the UN General Assembly, Vučić called on the international community to "take concrete and decisive steps" to stop, as he put it, the violence in Kosovo.
The Serbian leader also stated that "Serbia believes in dialogue" mediated by the European Union.
Kosovo declared independence in 2008, which Serbia refuses to recognize. Over 100 countries have recognized Kosovo's independence, including 22 of the 27 countries of the European Union, which Kosovo and Serbia seek to join.
The two countries have been conducting dialogue to normalize relations since 2011. The process, which is facilitated by the EU, has produced several agreements, but not all of them have been implemented on the ground.
Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia have increased in recent years and since September 2023, the parties have not held any rounds of dialogue at the political level, but only rounds at the level of chief negotiators.
The last round of dialogue at the political level was held a few days before the September 24 armed attack in Banjska, Zvečan.
A group of armed Serbs attacked the Kosovo Police, killing a sergeant. Responsibility for the attack was claimed by Milan Radoićić, former vice-president of the Serbian List, the main Serb party in Kosovo that enjoys the support of Belgrade.
On the second anniversary of the attack, for which Pristina blames Belgrade, authorities in Kosovo requested the extradition of Radoicic and others involved in Banjska.
Last year, Kosovo filed indictments against 45 suspects for the attack in Banjska, while only three of these defendants are being tried in Pristina, as the others are inaccessible to Kosovo authorities. All three deny the charges.
Regarding the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, during his speech at the UN, Vučić stressed that regional stability is "of great importance to Serbia" and that Serbia, as a guarantor of the Dayton Agreement, which was signed 30 years ago, "will always work for its full implementation and respect for the rights of the three peoples in Bosnia and Herzegovina."
"Unilateral actions and abuse of authority, contrary to the agreement, do not contribute to peace and bring new tensions," the Serbian leader declared.
He added that Serbia “will use all diplomatic means” to prevent unilateral actions in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Vučić also stressed that “for 30 years,” at the United Nations and elsewhere, “a false campaign has been waged against Serbia and Republika Srpska, the entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
"Around the world, you could have endlessly heard, as they would say, from 'well-informed sources', that it was a matter of time before Serbia would attack someone in the region and that Republika Srpska and its leadership would violate the territorial integrity of Bosnia," Vučić said, adding that "all this time, this has been a lie."
The government in Belgrade supports Milorad Dodik, the former president of Republika Srpska, who was stripped of his mandate as president of the entity by the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina, following a final decision by the Bosnian Court, for disrespecting the decisions of the High Representative of the international community in this country.
Vučić himself often meets with Dodik, who is a frequent guest at state events organized in Serbia.
Anti-government protests in SerbiaVučić used his speech at the UN to comment on the anti-government protests that have been going on for several months in Serbia, through which the announcement of extraordinary parliamentary elections is being demanded, a request that the authorities are rejecting.
The protests are led by students, who have been blocking faculties for months, demanding responsibility for the deaths of 16 people from the collapse of a concrete shelter at the Novi Sad railway station in 2024.
"Despite the violence shown by the demonstrators, we try to find a significant part of the blame on ourselves and on those who lead the country. I wanted to listen and understand the message of the protesters, and that is why I offer them dialogue from here, because there is no other alternative," Vučić said.
He added that it "offers unconditional dialogue and discussion on all issues important to our society for people who think differently."
"And I am absolutely certain that during the coming period we will overcome all the difficulties of the past months," Vučić said.
During the anti-government protests, there have been several clashes between police and demonstrators. Anti-government protesters and the opposition have accused police of using excessive force, a charge the authorities deny.
The European Union, where Serbia aims to become a member, has repeatedly called for a reduction in tensions. /REL
