Selaković: Inviolability of Borders Applies to Serbia As Well
“You have even those, in Serbia, who are ready to say that KiM is not part of Serbia. I am telling you it is. If you want to protect yourself, protect the ones around you. This is what Serbia is demonstrating in every place, President Vučić, Prime Minister Brnabić, I myself. I alway say what our policy actually is: that Serbia respects the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is just the way the thing are. It means that we observe the Dayton Peace Agreement which constitutes Bosnia and Herzegovina as a community of two entities and three constituent peoples”, the Minister said for Prva TV speaking about the alleged non-paper.
The Minister said that he does not want to speculate about its existence or its author, but that something else is just unbelievable, even President Vučić mentioned it, that everyone is emphasizing the inviolability of borders, but are considering this concept differently; the Minister repeated that the inviolability of borders means that the borders of Serbia should be left alone as well.
The Minister says that our country, even in impossible conditions, manages to maintain its course in the fight for state and national interests in Kosovo and Metohija, demonstrating in each place and step what a reliable, responsible partner it is.
“We must not live in a fairy tale, we should understand everything in the right way: 22 of 27 EU Member States recognised the so called Kosovo’s independence. They are the ones observing us in the negotiations conducted (Belgrade and Pristina) as two equal parties. There are five EU Member States which do not share this view, supporting Serbia’s position and negotiations conducted. And exactly the difference between the Member States is the guarantee that the negotiations will be conducted in a fair, correct and objective manner and that the EU will advocate a status-neutral approach in the negotiations“, Selaković said.
Mutual recognition is the wish of EU Member States which supported secession of our Southern Province, the Minister said, but also highlighted that Serbia will not meet this wish and is fighting for the protection of its state and national interests everywhere, demonstrating to what extent it is a more credible partner.
The Minister says that it is not realistic to expect from someone, who contrary to the international legal order, recognised secession of a part of the territory of a sovereign country 13 years ago, to change his position.
“Of course it won’t happen. One thing is more important here and that’s exactly what we insist on. Eight years ago the Brussels Agreement was concluded and Pristina undertook an obligation pursuant to this agreement which it did not implement. The decision apponting Miroslav Lajčák as EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue stipulates that it is his duty not only to coordinate this dialogue now, but that it is within his competence to work on the implementation of the agreements already reached. And it is the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities. We are fighting and will fight that they do this, because this is the reason why we participated in the dialogue at all, this was the reason to reach this agreement“, Selaković emphasised.
The Minister says that there is no answer to the question how long will it take, but it has to be understood that it is a conditio sine qua non, i.e. it is a condition absolutely essential to continue any of this.
“We insist on it, because the Community of Serb Municipalities is the backbone and essential part of the Brussels Agreement. For eight years now“, Selaković said and highlighted that the zero point in negotiations would imply departing from the agreed upon, while Pristina has not even started the execution of the agreed.
“The ones supporting them and guaranteeing their credibility in this process should make them do it. When we pose this question to our partners, who are closer to their stand than to ours, they have nothing to say. How to arrange anything new, if you don’t have the slightest confidence that the agreements achieved will be also realised“, the Minister emphasised.
Referring to certain statements from the region mentioning war, Selaković emphasised that he prefers not only Serbia’s words, but also Serbia’s actions and actions of President Vučić who succeeds in leading his people to economic development.
The Minister says that while others are prepared to talk about the war and the like, the things he does not even want to thing about, since many have grown up in a time when wars were raging, Serbia wants to talk about how many highways could be constructed, how many salaries could be raised, and that these are not just mere words.
“Serbia has succeeded in doing so. Our success in the field of vaccination and combat against COVID-19 is only the crown of effort. We could not have done it without six years of tough, hard work which has begun to yield serious results. There is no place on the globe or person to whom I spoke, without giving us huge credit. Even the Minister of Foreign Affairs of powerful Germany said this on the occasion of his visit to Belgrade. Where will you receive greater recognition than that. It is the result of a serious, responsible and hard political work. Not the politics involving wars, but the politics involving investments, new jobs, serious savings measures before that, namely everything positioning Serbia as a leader in the region when development and progress are in question“, Minister Selaković emphasised.
Referring to the statement of the Croatian President, Zoran Milanović, that Serbs in NDH (Independent Croatian State) were killed because they were enemies and resisted, Selaković says that when the fact how many people got killed in Jasenovac is in question, the strongest argument is the number mentioned in the report of Hitler’s special envoy submitted in Berlin, which states how many people got killed.
“Therefore, the German Nazis were horrified over what the Ustasha did to Serbs“, Selaković said and added that it’s not the time or the place for “bombastic statements” as response to the President of the neighbouring Croatia.
Confident that Milanovic’s statement is absolutely incorrect, Minister Selaković highlighted that it should encourage and be a serious motive for all to learn much more about such a monstrous, disgusting, horrible Nazi creation as the Independent Croatian State was, and reminded that there was even a children’s concentration camp chain there.
“And it was independent then. It was a machine of evil, a death machine. Jasenovac was the biggest factory of evil and death in this part of Europe. It was the consequence of the Ustasha ideology, which culminated during the World War II. NDH persistently implemented the “three thirds policy – one third of Serbs should be killed, one third should be converted to Catholicism and one third expelled from the country. It is not my wish to insult and point to the one who said this, I am expressing my stand and I absolutely do not agree with it. Therefore, why were Serbs killed in NDH – because it was the NDH state policy. Because they were Serbs and because they were to be wiped off the face of their earth. It was the essence of the whole story. Wait a minute, were women and children killed because they resisted? Why was Sava Šumanović killed? They cut first one and then the other arm so he could not paint anymore, and then they killed him. Because he resisted?“, the Minister asked and said that he is more concerned about the ignorance that exists with us, and that he is trying to remedy this, that our children and citizens learn the truth about the genocide against Serbs in World War II.
He added that the film “Dara of Jasenovac“ is an outstanding film, primarily intended for our audience, our children and citizens to watch, to change the attitude toward the thing which is an indispensable part of our past and history never to be forgotten.
“One cannot forget this. One cannot forget the death of one man, let alone hundreds of thousands of people of the same religion, nationality, culture, language, genetic code, like we are today. Once, the state policy intentionally pushed it aside to be forgotten, and then it always repeated and got worse and worse“, Selaković emphasised.