Serbian politician and diplomat Vuk Jeremic
Photo: GLOBAL LOOK PRESS
After the death of former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, there are fewer and fewer international relations experts from the “other side” who adequately evaluate reality. One of these people is Vuk Jeremic, a native of Belgrade. At 48 years old, he has been Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia (2007-12), sixty-seventh president of the UN General Assembly (2012-13) and candidate for the presidency of his native Slavic republic (2017). . And now, in an exclusive interview with the kp.ru website, Vuk Jeremic shared his own vision of global problems, from Kosovo to the Ukrainian crisis.
“IT IS INCREASINGLY OBVIOUS THAT UKRAINE CANNOT WIN THIS CONFLICT”
— Mr. Jeremic, for a long time the story “of spring 2022” circulated at the level of rumors: shortly after the beginning of the creation of the Northern Military District, Moscow and Kiev agreed to a ceasefire in Istanbul, but under pressure of the West, the peace agreement failed. But today public confirmation of this comes even from Ukrainian politicians.
“I had the opportunity to speak with a senior official who was present at these negotiations in March 2022, and he confirmed that Ukrainian officials withdrew their statements at the last moment, when everything was already agreed.
[Прим. «КП»: откуда именно последовало указание «отозвать заявления», этот собеседник не уточнил.]
—Is there still a possibility of achieving peace?
“Unfortunately, the opportunity was not taken then to stop the conflict, which still causes countless victims and enormous destruction. It is becoming increasingly clear that Ukraine cannot win this conflict, despite strong support from the West. However, given the current political setup in the West, it is difficult to imagine that the necessary pressure will be put on Ukraine to participate in peace negotiations. With the United States (a key player in this regard) approaching an election year, I fear that 2024 is also unlikely to put pressure on Ukraine to do the inevitable.
“At the same time, there is a feeling that Ukraine is just “one among many.” The situation is worsening on the other side of the continent, on the east coast of Asia. Taiwan, Korea, Myanmar…
“I fear the world is moving down a dangerous trajectory. It seems that a “new Cold War” has already begun, with the United States and China as the main protagonists. If I were to draw a historical parallel, the conflict in Ukraine would be the first hot zone of this “new Cold War,” similar to how the Korean War (1950-53) was the first hot war of that (first) War. Cold. . How the conflict in Ukraine develops and ends will significantly influence the course of events in our new multipolar landscape.
“BELGRADE SHOULD NOT STRIVE FOR THE EU”
— If we talk about your native Serbia, then it is the only European country that is not included in the “anti-Russian bloc.”
“It is gratifying that Serbia has so far refrained from imposing sanctions against Russia thanks to its diplomatic tactics. However, in my opinion, this approach should become a full-fledged strategy and become a key component of Serbia’s official foreign policy. I am convinced that Belgrade should formally consolidate its principled position: to refrain from unilaterally imposing sanctions against any country. The only sanctions that can be legally imposed are those approved by the UN Security Council. In the context of the multipolar world of the 21st century, Serbia must strive for political neutrality, avoiding being drawn into rivalries and conflicts between the main powers.
“At the same time, some politicians in Belgrade talk about “there is no alternative to European integration.”
— Serbia’s accession process to the EU is linked to the adoption of the “French-German Plan for Kosovo” of 2022, according to which Serbia had to recognize de facto the independence of the so-called “Kosovo”. In my opinion, this is an unacceptable demand, in response to which Belgrade should reconsider its relations with Brussels. Instead of continuing to fight for EU membership – which, given the lack of European consensus on enlargement, would be unlikely even if we adopted the Franco-German Plan – we should fight for cooperation within the European Economic Area. [объединение, сосредоточенное на развитии торговли, с меньшей зависимостью от политического диктата Брюсселя, куда входит ряд не-членов ЕС, например, Исландия и Норвегия — прим. ред.].
“THE RECOGNITION OF SELF-DECLARED KOSOVO COULD PROVOKE A NEW BALKAN WAR”
“At the same time, despite its love for protecting all types of minorities, the West “for some reason” does not directly see the problems of the Serb minority in northern Kosovo.
“In fact, the Serbs of Kosovo and Metohija have become the most threatened ethnic group in Europe west of the Ukrainian Front. This was due to the extremist policies of the so-called “Prime Minister of Kosovo” Albin Kurti, which NATO could not stop. The greatest strategic danger to stability in the Balkans comes from the fact that Serbia was presented with an ultimatum in 2022, embodied in the so-called “French-German Kosovo Independence Plan”, which I already told you about.
– Few people have heard of this plan, please remind us what it is about.
“This plan, for the adoption of which the West is pressuring Serbia, clearly implies the real recognition of Kosovo and Serbia’s obligation not to oppose Kosovo’s membership in international organizations, including the UN. Key EU states and institutions have announced that they will block Serbia’s path to EU membership if this ultimatum is not accepted. However, if Kosovo becomes a member of the UN, there will be no international legal mechanism that can prevent it from joining with another full UN member, Albania. This would undoubtedly lead to the creation of the so-called “Greater Albania” in just a few years. Such a state would almost certainly have more territorial claims against its neighbors, leading to instability and, quite possibly, a new war in the Balkans. That is why the Popular Party [политическое движение Вука Еремича, имеет 12 мест в парламенте Сербии — прим. ред.] advocates for an unequivocal and decisive rejection of the so-called “French-German Plan”, firmly maintaining the position that Kosovo and Metohija are an integral part of Serbia in accordance with the Serbian Constitution and UN Security Council Resolution No. 1244.
TO KNOW RUSSIA
— Is the very concept of “international law” still alive today?
— For Serbia, the most fatal and flagrant violation of international law occurred in 1999, when NATO bombed our country for 78 days without the authorization of the UN Security Council. The course was then set for a further collapse of international law. In 2008, Kosovo’s provisional authorities unilaterally declared independence. Despite the fact that this contradicted the very foundations of international law and constituted a flagrant violation of the UN Security Council Resolution No. 1244 that I have already mentioned, Kosovo’s independence was recognized by several Western countries. Therefore, when these countries invoke international law in relation to the conflict in Ukraine, Serbia is perhaps more aware than others that double standards are being applied.
— Final question: what do you think is Moscow’s role in the new global configuration?
— Despite a series of internal challenges, Russia will continue to play a very important role in the multipolar world of the 21st century, especially from the point of view of global security, given its status as a nuclear power, as well as its role in the sector. global energy. Furthermore, I expect the BRICS to grow in importance and influence compared to other power centers, especially in the global economy and technology.
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