With the words “welcome home”, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, began his address today at the opening of the Commemorative Meeting on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the first Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).
“I hope that we will not only discuss the past, but also the future that we want to build together. The world of dialogue, compromise, and peace is still possible and attainable”, he said.
Belgrade has been, is and will continue be a proud host to all human beings who carry peace within themselves. The basic idea around which our predecessors gathered when they founded the Movement was peace. Peace is the basis for the development of cooperation, whether politicalor economic”, Vučić pointed out.
He said that he was especially glad for having the opportunity to see friends from distant countries, for whom the difficult situation with Covid-19 was not an obstacle to travel to Belgrade, which showed the importance they attach to this organization.
It is a great personal privilege and honour for Serbia that we gathered here in Belgrade, where we will make sure that you feel at home. I am convinced that Belgrade, as a centuries-old symbol, a crossroads of civilizations and religions, a meeting point between East and West, can inspire you to dialogue and encourage you to build new bridges of cooperation”, Vučić said.
He emphasized that international cooperation, while respecting fundamental principles, is the only path towardsthe development and prosperity of humanity, and pointed out that the UN Sustainable Development Agenda 2030, according to him, highlights and promotes three principles – peace and security, development and human rights.
“Serbia, as the legal successor of Yugoslavia, the founder of the UN and the NAM, is a proud promoter of the policy of multilateralism and respect for international norms.
Vučić pointed out that the Movement is based on common principles that have never lost their significance, and that it played an essential role in preserving peace and security in the world, in the process of decolonization, which promoted equality and social and economic development of all countries.
He also said that today it is not enough to nostalgically remember the golden age of the Movement, but that we must work together on fulfilling the goals that will lead towards the future of equals, where the same rights shall apply to everyone, and this is the direction the Movement has taken from its beginning and for which everyone should strive even today.
“We are advocating this, not because it is a question of the interests of individual countries, but because it is one of the biggest civilizational steps that the world must take if it wants to survive, and not as a kind of camp of which only the rich have the key”, Vučić said.
The President said that the right to decide one’s own destiny is not a sin, but a right that must belong to everyone, regardless of the strength and power at theirdisposal.
He noticed that the world today is much different from the one in 1961, since globalization, interdependence and the development of new technologies have made the planet smaller, making an impact on everyone’s lives.
“The challenges we face today know no boundaries, and their nature is more complex. That is why we need to work more than ever on the development of multilateralism, because no country is isolated and cooperation is the only way to prosperity”, Vučić said.
That, he says, is the basis on which, despite the differences, members of the Movement stand, the Movement which is a symbol of the freedom-loving part of the world, ready to fight for freedom, independence and sovereignty.
“I believe that this indeed is something worth fighting for. Serbia knows best how difficult it is, because of all the struggles it is waging to preserve its sovereignty and territorial integrity, to resolve the issue of Kosovo and Metohija”, Vučić said.
The President said that in this way, Serbia defends the universal principles on which the UN Charter is based, the principles of international law, but also some of the most important values of the Movement.
Vučić said that Serbia remains committed to finding a compromise solution that would guarantee lasting peace in the province, convinced that it is a reflection of our strengths, not weaknesses, and stressed that Serbia is an independent state, which makes its own decisions, a reliable partner to all of its friends, always ready to extend a hand of cooperation.
On that note, he reminded that in the past period, Serbia selflessly helped everyone who needed it, with more than a million vaccines against Covid-19, more than half of which were donated to African and Asian countries, adding that our country will continue to do so, until the coronavirus becomes a thing of the past.
“You have a loyal friend in Serbia, and these are not empty words. Despite all the pressures, Serbia will never turn its back on friends”, Vučić underlined.
He also reminded that the Movement was conceived with the idea of SFRY, Egypt and India, that peace cannot be ensured by divisions, but by striving for collective security and ending the domination of one country over another.
President Vučić concluded by quoting an African proverb, saying “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together”, which he believes corresponds fully to the character of this Movement.
