13 aprile 2021

Il Ministro degli Affari Esteri Nikola Selakovic ha avvisato, alla seduta del Consiglio di Sicurezza dell’ONU, che l’estremismo politico tra gli albanesi in Kosovo e Metohija non perde il vigore, ma, anzi, sta diventando sempre più forte.

Selakovic ha ricordato, nella seduta in cui si esaminava la Relazione del Segretario Generale dell’ONU circa l’operato dell’UNMIK, che all’obbligo di costituire l’Unione dei comuni serbi non si è adempiuti da 2.917 giorni e che di fatto, il 19 aprile si compiono esattamente otto anni dal raggiungimento dell’accordo di Bruxelles, e che Pristina rifiuta ancora di adempiere al suo impegno consentendo la costituzione dell’Unione dei comuni serbi.

Il Ministro ha ricordato che l’attuale Presidente del Governo delle provvisorie istituzioni di autogestione di Pristina ha più volte minacciato l’unione dell’autoproclamato Kosovo con l’Albania, e che il dialogo con Belgrado si trova in posizione bassa sulla lista delle priorità.

Come ha indicato, è ora che i leader albanesi di Pristina dimostrino la responsabilità nell’adempimento degli impegni assunti, ma anche una sincera dedizione al raggiungimento di una soluzione di compromesso e alla costruzione di una reciproca fiducia.

“La Serbia è decisa e non rinuncerà al tentativo di trovare una soluzione di compromesso, che sia sostenibile anche per le generazioni future. Il lavoro sulla costruzione della fiducia e l’insistere sulle agende politiche positive è un altro modo per costruire una pace costante e la stabilità nella nostra Regione”, ha concluso Selakovic.

La pace costante e la stabilità, come afferma, possono essere raggiunte solamente a patte che nessuno dei partecipanti al dialogo avanzi delle richieste massimaliste e insista sulla completa umiliazione dell’altro.

Come ha evidenziato, il popolo serbo e quello albanese, come due più numerosi popoli dei Balcani Occidentali, devono trovare il modo di raggiungere la pacificazione e una base per cooperare sia sul piano economico, che sul raggiungimento delle prospettive congiunte volte all’adesione all’Unione Europea.

“Belgrado ha fatto sinceri passi in questa direzione, essendo uno dei promotori dell’idea di alleggerimento dei flussi di persone, merci, capitali e servizi, pubblicamente nota come Mini Schengen”, ha sottolineato il Ministro.

Ribadendo che la Serbia ha dimostrato innumerevoli volte di essere dedicata al dialogo in quanto l’unico mezzo per una soluzione pacifica e politica del problema del Kosovo e Metohija, Selakovic ha ribadito che le recenti elezioni nella Provincia hanno confermato che l’estremismo politico tra gli albanesi non perde il vigore, ma anzi, diventa sempre più forte, il che era possibile vedere durante il recente processo preelettorale.

Il Ministro ha richiamato l’attenzione al fatto che le pressioni politiche sui serbi proseguono anche dopo il processo elettorale, dato che gli è stata tolta una giusta partecipazione alle istituzioni provvisorie con la decisione del nuovo cosiddetto Governo di Pristina di assegnare alla comunità serba solamente un Ministero.

“La categoria particolarmente a rischio sono i serbi che sono ritornati e che vivono quotidianamente con la paura degli attacchi. Vi ricordo che la Provincia meridionale serba è tuttora l’area con il minor tasso di ritorno degli esuli al mondo”, ha detto il Ministro sottolineando che solamente nell’anno scorso nella nostra Provincia meridionale sono avvenuti 80 attacchi e incidenti i cui obiettivi erano serbi, la loro proprietà e i luoghi di culto.

Particolarmente preoccupante per il popolo serbo in Kosovo e Metohija, ha sottolineato Selakovic, è il fatto che nel passato recente, e soprattutto nel marzo di quest’anno, sono avvenuti sempre più frequenti attacchi fisici alle località della Chiesa Ortodossa Serba.

“Un esempio di forte impatto del rapporto di mancato rispetto nei confronti del patrimonio culturale e religioso serbo nella Provincia, il cui estremo valore universale è stato confermato anche dall’Unesco che lo ha collocato sulla Lista del Patrimonio culturale mondiale, è anche il caso del monastero Visoki Decani”, ha sottolineato il Ministro.

Inoltre, il Capo della Diplomazia serba ha valutato come preoccupante anche l’irruzione dell’ispettore e degli agenti di polizia all’ASL di Strbac, nel gennaio scorso e la perquisizione con l’intenzione di trovare i vaccini contro Covid-19 provenienti dalla Serbia Centrale.

“Anche se lo consideriamo come irruzione nelle istituzioni sanitarie, la nostra reazione è stata contenuta anche questa volta. Non volevamo suscitare con le nostre decisioni un inasprimento né politicizzare attività volte esclusivamente alla tutela della salute pubblica. Abbiamo organizzato la vaccinazione dei cittadini del Kosovo e Metohija in tre punti della Serbia Centrale dimostrando in tale maniera che per noi la vita delle persone si trova al primo posto”, ha sottolineato il Ministro.

Il Ministro Selakovic ha detto che la Serbia rispetta altamente le attività della missione dell’UNMIK in Kosovo e Metohija e che si impegna per il suo quanto più efficace operato nel volume non ridotto, con l’obiettivo della costruzione e della preservazione della sicurezza nella Provincia.

Selakovic ha indicato che le missioni internazionali in Kosovo e Metohija, UNMIK, Kfor, Eulex e OMIK, sotto l’egida dell’ONU, e ai sensi della Risoluzione 1244, hanno un ruolo fondamentale nella preservazione della pace e nella tutela della popolazione.

“Appoggiamo e rispettiamo il loro impegno e i loro sforzi che investono all’interno dei loro mandati, per l’obiettivo congiunto della creazione delle condizioni per una convivenza pacifica e sicura degli abitanti del Kosovo e Metohija. La popolazione serba e non albanese in KeM ha massima fiducia nella presenza internazionale e la ritiene garante di sicurezza e diga contro l’arbitrarietà delle istituzioni provvisorie di Pristina”, ha evidenziato il Ministro.

Lo conferma, come indicato dal Ministro, il fatto che le missioni internazionali devono rimanere impegnate nel volume non ridotto affinché possano implementare la Risoluzione del CS dell’ONU 1244.

Selakovic ha menzionato l’importanza delle forze internazionali della Kfor ribadendo che ogni unilaterale tentativo di assegnare ad altri, o ad assumere una parte del mandato e degli impegni della Kfor - rappresenta la violazione della Risoluzione del CS dell’ONU 1244.

Inoltre, il Ministro ha menzionato che non è accettabile l’assunzione delle decisioni unilaterali circa la formazione del “Ministero della Difesa” di Pristina e l’inizio del processo di trasformazione delle cosiddette “Forze di sicurezza kosovare” nelle cosiddette “Forze Armate del Kosovo”.

Il Ministro Selakovic ha presentato, all’inizio del suo intervento, il reclamo per l’abuso del formato video della seduta da parte della rappresentante di Pristina, dietro la quale era esposta la bandiera dell’autoproclamato “Kosovo”, il che ha fatto anche il rappresentante della Russia.

In seguito, la versione integrale del discorso del Ministro degli Affari Esteri Nikola Selakovic:

Distinguished President of the Security Council,

Distinguished Special Representative,

Esteemed members of the Security Council,

At the outset, I have no choice but to lodge a protest against the abuse of the video format of this session on the part of the representatives of Pristina in order to promote the symbols of the so-called statehood of Kosovo. Despite the fact that the representatives of Pristina were warned on several occasions, including by the President of the Security Council at the previous session, that such abuses of Security Council sessions are absolutely unacceptable and constitute a flagrant violation of the Security Council rules on participation of representatives of the provisional institutions of self-government in Pristina, under Rule 39 of the UN Security Council Rules of Procedure, we are again faced with their reckless disregard for the rules of this distinguished body. Let me reiterate our call for the necessary steps to be taken to prevent such abuses.

It is my great pleasure to address this august body at the meeting on the work of the Mission of the United Nations in Kosovo and Metohija. At the outset, I would like to thank Secretary-General of the United Nations Mr. Guterres and Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of UNMIK Mr. Tanin for the report submitted and for their efforts made towards the implementation of the UNMIK mandate, and also to the members of the Security Council for the continued attention they have devoted to the issue of Kosovo and Metohija. The Republic of Serbia highly values the activities of the Mission of the United Nations in Kosovo and Metohija and supports it in carrying out its work as efficiently as possible and undiminished in scope, aiming to build and preserve security in the Province.

Mr. President,

In the previous period we have faced political instability in Kosovo and Metohija. We recently had elections in the Province, which unfortunately confirmed that political extremism among Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija is not decreasing, but on the contrary, is becoming stronger. We have witnessed Albanian leaders competing among themselves in efforts to find the best way to provoke an incident in Serb communities, in order to score political points of the Albanian electorate. Under the pretext of amending the voter list, a large number of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija were deprived of one of their fundamental political rights - the opportunity to elect their political representatives. Out of approximately 140,000 of citizens of Kosovo and Metohija who were removed from the voter list in the latest election process, 85% are Serbs.

Despite numerous challenges and problems, the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija have shown, by high turnout and a convincing victory of the Serb List which won all ten seats reserved for Serbian representatives, that nothing can stop them from resolutely defending their position. Political pressures on Serbs continued even after the election process was completed, by denying Serbs fair representation in provisional institutions as the new so-called government in Pristina decided to assign only one ministry to the Serb community.

Distinguished members of the Security Council,

Unfortunately, it was not only during the election activities that we witnessed the unreasonable anti-Serb policy being pursued by the provisional institutions in Pristina. This goes to the length of breaking into the Health Center in Strpce, in the south of Kosovo and Metohija, by police inspectors and officers from Pristina, in  January this year, who conducted a search aiming to discover Covid-19 vaccines there, originating from central Serbia, which they did not find. In doing so they demonstrated force and threatened to arrest the director of the Health Center, medical staff and doctors. At a time when the whole world is fighting the pandemic with vaccines being the only way to end this challenge, while Serbia is showing support and solidarity by donating vaccines and medical equipment to all in need in the region, Pristina wants to destroy vaccines only because they originate from central Serbia. As the whole world expresses gratitude to medical doctors, who have made great and heroic sacrifices in combating the virus, the provisional institutions in Pristina are attacking Serbian doctors for doing their job.

Although we believe that intrusions into health care institutions are inadmissible, our reaction was restrained this time as well. We did not want our decisions to cause escalation and politicization of activities that are solely aimed at protecting public health. We organized the vaccination of citizens from Kosovo and Metohija at three locations in central Serbia and thus clearly demonstrated that people's lives are the top priority to us. Serbia continues to be ready to help all in need of assistance, and we call for reason and responsibility, especially in such difficult times.

Mr. President,

Attacks targeting Serbs and their property have been on the rise. In the last year alone, more than 80 attacks and incidents took place in our southern province, targeting Serbs, their property and religious sites. According to the information provided by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo and Metohija, in the second half of last year, the number of incidents increased by more than 30% compared to 2019. Therefore, we cannot agree with the assessment that the "security situation in Kosovo remained stable, with a few incidents reported affecting non-majority communities". Last weekend, for example, an entirely unprovoked physical attack by a group of Albanians on two Serb young men took place in the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica.

Serb returnees represent a particularly vulnerable category, who spend their every day in fear of being attacked. The fact that one family of returnees was the target of seven attacks clearly indicates the persistence of those who do not want Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. There is absolutely no trace of political will in Pristina for 212,995 displaced Serbs who have been living outside Kosovo and Metohija for 22 years to return to their homes. Since 1999, the rate of sustainable return of internally displaced persons in Kosovo and Metohija has been only 1.9%, which according to the UN data is officially the lowest percentage of return of expelled population after a conflict anywhere in the world.

At the same time, while arresting internally displaced persons, Pristina authorities are exerting the strongest of pressures on the Specialist Chambers in The Hague. The aim is to completely prevent the further processing of a number of cases against members of the terrorist KLA, on charges of serious crimes committed during the conflict in Kosovo and Metohija against both Serbs and persons belonging to other nationalities. President of the Specialist Chambers Madam Trendafilova recently warned that, should the pressures continue, this would have very dramatic consequences to the trials in progress. President Trendafilova underlined as highly problematic the phenomenon of witness intimidation, who are key for conducting proceedings successfully and rendering a proper verdict.

Although the wait to raise indictments was far too long, we consider it commendable that efforts have finally been made to punish the perpetrators of numerous serious crimes which were committed during the armed conflicts a little over two decades ago, but also upon the arrival of the international forces to Kosovo and Metohija. For example, no one has been held accountable to this day for the killings and abductions of 17 journalists in Kosovo and Metohija, which is currently the largest number of unsolved cases of murdered and kidnapped journalists in Europe. Furthermore, the perpetrators of any of the mass crimes committed against Serb civilians after 1999 have not been brought to justice. I will remind you of only a few of these cases: 14 Serb farmers were killed in the village of Staro Gracko, 12 displaced Serbs were killed and 43 wounded in the attack on the "Niš Express" bus in Livadice near Podujevo, and in Gorazdevac near Pec unknown persons fired automatic weapons on children who were swimming in the Bistrica river. Two Serb children were killed then, and four were seriously injured.

We expect the EULEX Mission to continue to support the Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor's Office, as well as its additional engagement in the field of the rule of law. Special attention needs to be devoted to witness protection, and determining the fate of missing persons.

International missions in Kosovo and Metohija - UNMIK, KFOR EULEX and OMIK are an integral part of the international civilian and security presence in our southern province, under the administration of the United Nations and in line with UNSC Resolution 1244 (1999), and play a key role and make an outstanding contribution to the preservation of peace and protection of the population. We support and respect their engagement and efforts made in the framework of their mandates, with the common goal of creating conditions for a peaceful and safe coexistence of the inhabitants of Kosovo and Metohija. The Serb and other non-Albanian population in Kosovo and Metohija have the utmost confidence in the international presence and consider it a guarantor of security and a barrier against the arbitrariness of the provisional institutions in Pristina. This further demonstrates the need that international missions remain engaged in an undiminished scope, in order to consistently implement UNSC Resolution 1244.

I would like to further emphasize the importance of KFOR international forces and point out that any unilateral attempt to assign to someone else or that someone else assumes a part of KFOR's mandate and responsibilities constitutes a violation of the UNSC Resolution 1244, while also being a potential source of instability and tensions. I will remind you that Pristina, contrary to international law and completely ignoring the interests and positions of the Serb community in the Province, would not abandon its plans to install a new security actor in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija. We consider the unilateral decisions on the formation of the "Ministry of Defence" and launching the process of transforming the so-called "Kosovo Security Forces" (KSF) into the so-called "Kosovo Army" to be unacceptable. I would like to reiterate that such unilateral moves on the part of Pristina constitute a gross violation of the UNSC Resolution 1244 and the Military Technical Agreement, according to which only the International Security Forces, that is KFOR, have the mandate for all military aspects of security in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija.

In this context, an additional reason for concern is the announcement of the construction of the largest base of the "Kosovo Security Forces" in the southern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, which Serbs in the north of Kosovo and Metohija perceive as the most open provocation and threat to their physical safety.


Distinguished members of the Security Council,

It is particularly worrying for the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija that in the previous period, and especially in March this year, there were frequent physical attacks on the property of the Serbian Orthodox Church. In just two weeks, as many as seven Orthodox landmarks in the province were targeted by vandals, at a time when we all remember the March 2004 pogrom against Serbs and Serbian holy sites in Kosovo and Metohija. The condition of the Serbian cultural and spiritual heritage in Kosovo and Metohija is humiliating, including the four monuments that are inscribed on the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger (Visoki Decani, Holy Virgin of Ljevisa, Gracanica and the Patriarchate of Pec). Numerous administrative and technical barriers are imposed on priestly and monastic communities, which makes it more difficult or even impossible for them to survive on church property.

A striking example of the disrespectful attitude towards Serbian cultural and religious monuments in the Province, whose exceptional universal value UNESCO confirmed by inscribing them on the World Heritage List, is the case of the Visoki Decani Monastery.

Distinguished members of the Security Council,

The reason for the nervous behaviour of Pristina is all too obvious, as the project of the so-called independence today fails to be recognized by more than a half of the United Nations Member States, including five members of the European Union. However, it is high time for Albanian leaders in Pristina to show responsibility in fulfilling their commitments, but also a sincere commitment to reaching a compromise solution and building mutual trust.

I will remind you that the current Prime Minister of the provisional institutions of self-government in Pristina has repeatedly threatened to unite the self-proclaimed Kosovo and Albania in the past. A member of his party publicly said last weekend that the self-proclaimed Kosovo and Albania would be united, I quote, "with rifle and gunpowder, or referendum boxes".

I need not explain why such dangerous ideas constitute a direct threat to peace and stability. They violate Resolution 1244, while continuously destabilizing not only our southern province, but the entire region as well, and in no way contribute to the dialogue process, but instead hamper it again.

We have demonstrated time and time again our commitment to dialogue as the only way towards a peaceful, political solution to the problem in Kosovo and Metohija. Even today, after many years of negotiations, but also failure to fulfill what was agreed and constant unilateral moves and provocations on the part of the provisional institutions in Pristina, we are still ready to sit down at the table and talk.

We are ready for dialogue but not to be blackmailed and threatened and especially not for ultimatums recently presented by Prime Minister of the provisional institutions of self-government in Pristina. I will remind you of his statement that the dialogue will be low on the list of priorities of the Pristina authorities. It is bewildering how Pristina refers to ultimatums completely undermining any chance of dialogue, as the European Union also pointed out, as "principles" and how it persistently insists that Belgrade should recognize the unilaterally declared independence of "Kosovo", upon which, they believe, all else would be resolved. What is the purpose of the dialogue then, if Belgrade is only expected to recognize the so-called Kosovo? Does the dialogue imply that one side should give up everything only for the other to win it all? And does the dialogue, in Pristina's opinion, imply that what was agreed should not be fulfilled?

I will remind you that Pristina still refuses to follow up on its obligations arising from the agreements reached so far and does not agree to discuss their implementation within the dialogue. And the situation is quite simple - in April 2013, the first agreement was signed in Brussels, which envisaged four obligations: one for Pristina and three for Belgrade. Belgrade has fulfilled all obligations, while the only obligation that the provisional institutions in Pristina had - to form the Community of Serb Municipalities - has remained unfulfilled for 2,917 days now. In fact, 19 April marks eight full years since the agreement was reached in Brussels, and of Pristina's failure to fulfill the obligation to form the Community of Serb Municipalities.

Distinguished Mr. President,

Regardless of the discouraging messages heard from Pristina and the fact that the dialogue has been in progress for many years, Serbia is determined and will not give up on identifying a compromise solution, which will be sustainable for future generations as well. Lasting peace and stability can only be achieved if none of the participants in the dialogue pursues maximalist demands and insists on the complete humiliation of the other. The Serbian and Albanian peoples, as the two most numerous peoples in the Western Balkans, need to find a way to reach reconciliation and a basis for cooperation, both in terms of the economy and in achieving shared prospects for membership  to the European Union.

Belgrade has made sincere steps in that direction, by being one of the initiators of the idea of relaxing the flow of people, goods, capital and services, popularly referred to as "mini-Schengen".

As far as Serbia is concerned, we are convinced that the only way to build lasting peace and stability in our region is by working to build trust and insisting on positive political agendas. The inhabitants of Kosovo and Metohija, of any nationality, whether they are Serbs or Albanians, do not deserve anything less.

Thank you for your attention.