Jeremić: Kosovo policy won't change

The upcoming elections are historic, but whichever party emerges triumphant, policy on Kosovo will not change, says Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic. “If there’s one thing we all agree on, it’s Kosovo,” said Jeremic today in Madrid, in conversation with the editors-in-chief of Spanish media and foreign correspondents. Jeremic: Kosovo policy won't change The foreign minister said that while there was an expectation in certain parts of the international community that policy towards Kosovo would change after the elections, he was profoundly sure that this would not be the case. After the meeting, he told FoNet that the presence of a large number of Spanish media representatives at his briefing showed that Serbia and themes linked to the Balkans continued to be in the spotlight of the international media, and that for this reason, it was essential to remain active. “It’s important to generate public pressure, to win the public over in European states and elsewhere that have a bearing on international processes that concern us, and in which we are actors. We didn’t do this in the past, and I think that was a grave error,“ said Jeremic. The foreign minister said that as far as Serbia’s diplomatic approach was concerned, particularly regarding Kosovo, it was very important to be active in countries where there was an interest in this issue, and where there was a general inclination to support Serbia’s arguments in the debate. That’s why it was important, he said, for the pressure to mount, not just on institutions, politicians and international organizations, but also on the general public at large. Meanwhile, in an interview with Belgrade daily Press published today, Jeremic stated that the most important goal in the coming period was to limit the number of countries recognizing Kosovo’s unilaterally declared independence. He said that he believed that "we have so far been more successful in that regard than people expected, since less than 40 out of 192 UN member states have so far recognized Kosovo’s independence, despite the enormous pressure exerted on them." “We want Serbia to submit a resolution to the UN General Assembly in September saying that ‘Kosovo declared independence, it is a dubious matter as far as international law is concerned, and that is why we request the opinion of the International Court of Justice,’" underlined the foreign minister. He added that only the Security Council or the UN secretary-general could initiate something like this. Jeremic also said that the UN Security Council was completely divided, adding that he believed that "we might gain majority support for this political initiative at the UN General Assembly, where each state has one vote." Vuk Jeremic (FoNet, archive)

Jeremić: Kosovo policy won't change

The foreign minister said that while there was an expectation in certain parts of the international community that policy towards Kosovo would change after the elections, he was profoundly sure that this would not be the case.

After the meeting, he told FoNet that the presence of a large number of Spanish media representatives at his briefing showed that Serbia and themes linked to the Balkans continued to be in the spotlight of the international media, and that for this reason, it was essential to remain active.

“It’s important to generate public pressure, to win the public over in European states and elsewhere that have a bearing on international processes that concern us, and in which we are actors. We didn’t do this in the past, and I think that was a grave error,“ said Jeremić.

The foreign minister said that as far as Serbia’s diplomatic approach was concerned, particularly regarding Kosovo, it was very important to be active in countries where there was an interest in this issue, and where there was a general inclination to support Serbia’s arguments in the debate.

That’s why it was important, he said, for the pressure to mount, not just on institutions, politicians and international organizations, but also on the general public at large.

Meanwhile, in an interview with Belgrade daily Press published today, Jeremić stated that the most important goal in the coming period was to limit the number of countries recognizing Kosovo’s unilaterally declared independence.

He said that he believed that "we have so far been more successful in that regard than people expected, since less than 40 out of 192 UN member states have so far recognized Kosovo’s independence, despite the enormous pressure exerted on them."

“We want Serbia to submit a resolution to the UN General Assembly in September saying that ‘Kosovo declared independence, it is a dubious matter as far as international law is concerned, and that is why we request the opinion of the International Court of Justice,’" underlined the foreign minister.

He added that only the Security Council or the UN secretary-general could initiate something like this.

Jeremić also said that the UN Security Council was completely divided, adding that he believed that "we might gain majority support for this political initiative at the UN General Assembly, where each state has one vote."