Selaković: 100 meetings and 12 signed agreements on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly

24. Sep 2022.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikola Selaković stated that the delegation of Serbia completed very intensive diplomatic activity in New York within the 77th UN General Assembly. A total of 100 meetings were held on the sidelines of the 77th session, and that 12 agreements, protocols and memoranda were signed with state representatives with whom he had the opportunity to meet and discuss various issues.

Minister Selaković stated that the 77th session of the UN General Assembly was an opportunity to hold a series of meetings on the sidelines of the session with foreign ministers from several world countries and with US representatives and members of Congress, as well as representatives of the American-Jewish Committee, the Alliance of Civilizations, and the World Economic Forum.

“Summing up this year's UN General Assembly session and the meetings held on sidelines, I can proudly say that a total of 100 meetings were held, of which 95 with foreign ministers and five with representatives of the American-Jewish Committee, the Alliance of Civilizations, and the World Economic Forum”, Minister Selaković stated.

Minister Selaković emphasised that it was an excellent opportunity to affirm our policy, and added that foreign ministers from different countries were impressed after hearing the extraordinary address by President Aleksandar Vučić at the UN General Assembly.

“They were impressed by that speech. It was a speech that confirmed Serbia’s consistent respect for international law, respect for the role of the UN and respect for the resolutions of the UN Security Council in force. Serbia is not a large country geographically and in terms of population, but a country that firmly believes that the commitment by small and middle-sized countries to international law is our strongest ally in the fight for the protection of vital state and national interests”, Minister Selaković stressed.

Minister Selaković said that there were exceptional discussions, both with representatives of the countries that recognized the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo, as well as those that did not, confirming once again their support and commitment to the protection of the vital principle of inviolability of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of internationally recognized UN member states.

“This year has been very challenging for the UN. Multilateralism is in a kind of crisis and it is of vital importance to return multilateralism and back on the scene and strengthen the role of the UN.  Our struggle for the protection of our state and national interests in Kosovo and Metohija, precisely in the light of the struggle for respect for the application of international law, relevant UN decisions, such as Resolution 1244, will remain our focus and something that Serbia will fight for. This reaffirmation of the role of the UN is something that guarantees greater success in that fight”, Minister Selaković said.

The head of Serbian diplomacy pointed out that the meetings held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session were an excellent opportunity to sign a series of agreements, protocols, and memoranda with representatives of different countries.

“We concluded a total of 12 agreements, memoranda and protocols, and today we will complete a very intensive diplomatic activity by signing the Agreement on the abolition of visas for official and diplomatic passports with Senegal”, Minister Selaković concluded.