Statement by Representative of Slovenia to the UN Security Council Ambassador Samuel Žbogar at the briefing on the Report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK)

Thank you very much, Madam President.

We thank SRSG and the Head of UNMIK, Ms. Caroline Ziadeh, for her briefing. We also want to extend our gratitude to the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić and the President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu for their statements.

Madam President,

There is a lot of pain and too much unhealed wounds in Kosovo. In both communities, Albanian and Serb.

Therefore, in order to understand the challenges that Kosovo and the region are facing today and assess the progress made, one needs to reflect on a starting point 25 years ago.

Yes, 25 years have passed since the conflict in Kosovo ended with NATO intervention.  The alliance acted out of need to stop the killings of civilians. And it lead to the adoption of the resolution 1244 by this Council.

Next Sunday Kosovo will remember 25 years of the most horrific mass killing during the conflict. In Meja, a village in Kosovo around 300 men and boys were taken out of the refugee convoy and executed.

Many more lives were shattered that day. I met grieving widows and mothers. Some are still waiting for the remains of their loved ones.

I visited Krusha Madhe, the Village of War Widows, where all males aged 13 and older, more than 100 of them, were killed.

Last month, as President Vučić mentioned it, was 20 years since violent unrest against Serbs, their property and religious sites happened across Kosovo. Four years after the conflict in just few days, hundreds of Serb homes were demolished and tens of religious objects were set on fire. Serbs were fleeing Kosovo in fear for their lives.

I met a Serb who escaped through the bathroom window and ran 40 km to the safety of the north of Kosovo, watching Serb homes and churches in flames along the way. 

Yes, one can find a lot of pain in Kosovo, as probably in every conflict. However, focusing on the horrible past can prevent seeing better prospects for the future.

And the future for all communities lies in multiethnic and multicultural Kosovo, at peace with itself and Serbia.

Since those dark days of the 90is, Kosovo has made huge steps forward. A once devastated and traumatized society is today on its European reforms’ path through the stabilization and association process. It met rigorous criteria to be recently granted a visa free travel to the countries of the European Union.

And the future of the whole region is in the European Union. Not because we, the EU say so. But because this is what the citizens of the region want and expect. The European Union represents to them the area of peace, rule of law and respect of human rights. The area of free flow of people and ideas. The area of progress. The area of reconciliation. Citizens across the region want a normal life and this is where they see it.

Madam President,

UNMIK’s was set up immediately after the end of the conflict and has been instrumental in supporting stability and security in Kosovo in its initial transition phase. UNMIK filled institutional vacuum and started providing services to people. Through close collaboration with international partners UNMIK facilitated the development of local governance, justice system, and police forces, laying a solid foundation for sustainable governance in Kosovo.

Progress made has been immense, and the foundations for a peaceful coexistence have been established. The Kosovo constitution guarantees all its citizens and communities, including the Serbs, equal treatment with seats in the Parliament, in the government and official language.

However, challenges persist. As always, it is about implementation. Kosovo Albanians and Kosovo Serbs remain – to the large extent – divided communities.

Madam President,

Against this background, I would like to make the following points:

Firstly, the EU-facilitated dialogue is the only established forum for the normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo. We must support it in every possible way.

We are concerned with the lack of progress and even backsliding on certain issues in the dialogue. However, there is no alternative to it. There is no path forward without the dialogue and normalization of relations.

Slovenia urges both Belgrade and Pristina to prioritize the implementation of the Agreements reached, and in particular of the Brussels Agreement and its Annex from 2023.

Secondly, normalization of relations between Serbia and Kosovo goes hand in hand with providing a safe, secure and prosperous environment for Serbs in Kosovo. One depends on the other.

Appropriate level of self-management of the ethnic Serbs community in Kosovo should be implemented in good faith and respecting needs, interests and concerns of both sides. Solutions can’t be imposed on either side. As they say, a man convinced against his will is against you still. But the need to make progress on fulfilling this path of the dialogue agreement is urgent. Government in Pristina needs to implement what has been agreed and extend a hand to Serbs in Kosovo. 

For trust to be build and for progress in dialogue to be made,  Serbia and Kosovo need to address security concerns, including preventing arms smuggling and holding perpetrators of illegal activities accountable. We call for full cooperation to investigate the Banjska incident of last September. Progress in the investigation and persecution is crucial for building towards normality.

Thirdly, Slovenia welcomes upholding the Kosovo Constitutional Court’s ruling granting disputed land surrounding monastery Visoki Decani to the Serb Ortodox Church. This was one of the 11 agreed points of the Ohrid 2023 agreement.

The agreement also affirms that neither Kosovo nor Serbia can represent each other internationally and that Serbia would not oppose Kosovo’s membership in international organizations.

Finally, building trust is most effective when it starts with young people, and we appreciate the role Kosovo’s youth plays in fostering a future of peaceful coexistence between communities. In this regard I want to commend UNMIK’s Trust-building Forum, established in my country‘s capital, five years ago.

Slovenia supports UNMIK’s transition to tasks where it can have an added value in changed circumstances, like encouraging comprehensive dialogue between the communities. We would support UNMIK’s further reflection on its future role in Kosovo society.

Dear colleagues,

We have these debates twice a year. Members of the Security Council are presented with two or more Rashomon realities. And even if there is truth in each one of them, the Council is not helping them bring closer. As if these debates are not meant to search for solutions and build trust but rather to expose the differences.

What we believe that the Council should do and what we would like to hear from both parties is:

–        That there is no other way but to accept each other’s reality and live with  each other and next to each other;

–        That both sides increase efforts to make Kosovo a home for both communities;

–        That leaders of both sides put interests, well-being and prosperity of their citizens first, especially for the Serbs in the north;

–        That they increase efforts to implement agreements reached within the EU facilitated dialogue;

–        That they resist surprises, unilateral actions against, as well as derogative rhetoric about the other party;

–        That there is only win win solution. Zero sum game and wins are short lived. The sooner we all realize it, the better lives will citizens and communities of Kosovo have.

Thank you.

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