UN Security Council session on the six-month report on KiM; Djurić: Pristina must establish the CSM

At the session, Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djurić also spoke.

Djurić emphasized that the Prime Minister of the Pristina authorities, Albin Kurti, systematically sabotages dialogue, nullifies the Brussels and Washington agreements, and undermines the peace legacy of former U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Today we clearly state: after twelve years, Pristina must establish the Community of Serbian Municipalities. This is not a demand from Serbia – it is an obligation that Pristina undertook before the European Union and its own citizens, the cornerstone for the rights and security of Serbs,” Djurić said.

“Allow me to begin with the words of Nelson Mandela, who once told nine people that questioning their human rights is questioning their very humanity. These words still resonate painfully today as we speak about Kosovo and Metohija, where the fundamental rights of Serbs are not only ignored but systematically dismantled, step by step. What we witness is not an abstract political dispute, but a human struggle for dignity, security, and the survival of one’s children.

I would like to begin by expressing sincere gratitude to Secretary-General Guterres and Deputy Special Representative Mr. Shin for this report and their unwavering dedication to fulfilling the UN mission mandate under the Security Council Resolution.

The Republic of Serbia also expresses deep appreciation to every individual member of the UNMIK mission, who, despite limited resources and a hostile environment, tirelessly uphold peace, security, and human rights in Kosovo and Metohija. I also wish to recognize former UNMIK head Ms. Caroline Ziadeh for her dedicated service.

This year, as we commemorate 80 years since the founding of the United Nations – a beacon of hope raised from the ashes of the darkest war in human history – we are reminded of its solemn pledge: ‘never again.’ Yet, on the sovereign territory of a UN member state, this pledge is being tested today.

Kosovo and Metohija face ethnically motivated attacks, relentless persecution, arbitrary arrests, and unchecked violence. This is a direct challenge to the principles of the United Nations and the values upon which the organization is founded – values it is obliged to defend.

In this context, Serbia welcomes the Secretary-General’s report as a modest but significant step forward. A balanced, fact-based account of the situation in Kosovo and Metohija. We deeply value UNMIK’s role in upholding international law, protecting vulnerable communities, and maintaining stability under increasing pressures.

Every report, however thorough, cannot fully capture the horror that unfolds daily. This is not an abstract crisis; this is the destruction of human lives, the fracturing of families gripped by fear, and the theft of innocence from children in the 21st century,” Djurić said in his address to the Council.

He noted that Kurti’s administration has destroyed 128 vital institutions in Serbian-majority areas – services in education, healthcare, postal delivery, pensions, and employment. Even the Red Cross in Kosovo and Metohija has been targeted, violating the core principles of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

As the Secretary-General’s report itself states: “Kosovo authorities continue to close institutions run by Serbs, including the PIO Fund and National Employment Service in Leposavić, the city library and museum premises in Mitrovica, the Serbian Red Cross branch in Zubin Potok, as well as the sports hall in Leposavić.”

The report further notes that “international actors criticize these closures as they hinder access to basic services and facilities, and undermine the social, economic, and cultural rights of the population.” Ethnically motivated attacks remain frequent and have become routine, with Serbian children suffering the most. Since Kurti assumed power, 37 attacks on Serbian youth have been recorded. Just last week, the region watched in horror as an attempt was made to abduct a minor Serbian girl. Her only “crime” was her ethnicity. The brave child screamed for help, preventing a tragedy by her sheer willpower. Yet her attackers remain free and unpunished. This sends a chilling message to every Serb: “Your life is expendable; your safety, dignity, and childhood mean nothing.”

If you are Serbian, no vulnerability, age, or innocence protects you. You are marked – merely because you exist. This systemic deprivation of rights is not just a Serbian tragedy. It is a moral failure of all who remain silent. I ask you: what future awaits children who learn from cradle to grave to hide their Serbian language? This oppression is no accident. It originates from Pristina, from cultivated hatred embodied in Kurti’s doctrine of slow ethnic cleansing. His goal is to expel Serbs from their homes, their sacred places, and their land. This is now further exacerbated by the militarization of Kosovo and Metohija, the accelerated arming of the so-called KBS forces, and the recent delivery of armed killer drones by a neighboring state.

These developments threaten to destabilize the fragile security architecture, barely maintained in the region. Serbia has repeatedly warned that building peace cannot mean arming one side while ignoring the legitimate concerns of the other. This undermines the hard-won progress achieved during former President Trump’s first term, which had sparked hope for regional stability and partnership.

Kurti’s war is not a war against political opponents; it is a war against an entire people. Politically motivated arrests, institutional abuse for intimidation, secret warrants against Serbian leaders – all of this undermines the rule of law, isolating and marginalizing our community.