26 October 2021.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Nikola Selaković, spoke today at the celebration of the United Nations Day and the 76th anniversary of this international organization, and said that this day is an opportunity for all of us to remember the basic principles of the UN.

The minister underlined that we are proud that Yugoslavia is one of the founders of the UN and one of the first fifty signatory states to the Charter, emphasizing that Serbia, one of the successors of Yugoslavia, is strongly committed to the goals and principles of this document.
Selaković said that our country attaches special importance to the UN in the context of preserving its territorial integrity and sovereignty, thus defending not only its own national interests, but also international law and key principles of the Charter.

"We emphasize at every opportunity that UNSC Resolution 1244, which confirms the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia, remains in force. UNMIK's status-neutral presence continues to be essential for stability and the creation of conditions that should lead to a lasting and sustainable solution to the issue of Kosovo and Metohija, and we expect this mission to continue implementing its mandate", the minister emphasized, adding that Serbia remains committed to preserving stability and peace in the region, as well as to finding a compromise solution to the issue of Kosovo and Metohija through dialogue.

The minister stated that Serbia strongly supports the principle of multilateralism, saying that only through joint action, mutual harmonization and respect can answers be found in facing extremely complex contemporary global challenges.

"Our support for multilateralism was recently expressed and confirmed through the jubilee 60th anniversary of the First Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Belgrade in 1961, whose principles, goals and activities are inspired by the basic principles and goals of the United Nations", the minister pointed out, saying that the mentioned conference, which was attended by 120 delegations, was one of the largest multilateral gatherings this year in Europe and the world.

Speaking about the coronavirus pandemic, the current challenge facing the world, Selaković pointed out that Serbia is committed to participating in formulating coordinated, global responses and implementing measures for recovery from the pandemic and sustainable reconstruction.

"During the pandemic, Serbia showed a high degree of responsibility and solidarity and donated more than a million doses of vaccines to countries in the region, but also in other parts of the world", the minister pointed out.

The head of Serbian diplomacy stated that Serbia highly respects the role of the UN system in preserving peace and preventing conflicts in the world, adding that our commitment is reflected in our participation in UN and EU peacekeeping missions.

He also said that Serbia is strongly committed to the implementation of the UN 2030 Agenda and the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change.

"In addition to drafting legal frameworks and key documents in the field of environmental protection, such as the Law on Climate Change, adopted in March 2021, Serbia is strategically working on investment planning in this sector", Selaković said, adding that our active role was confirmed by the election of Serbia as one of the vice-chairs at the upcoming 26th Conference of the States Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

At the end of his speech, Selaković reiterated Serbia's clear commitment to remain a serious and reliable partner in achieving common UN goals.