Vucic: UN Charter only framework capable of holding world together, Belgrade a place for dialogue

NEW YORK - Addressing the general debate at the 80th UN General Assembly session, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said the world was facing deep geopolitical divisions and that the UN Charter was the only framework "capable of holding us together", and offered Belgrade as the place for dialogue on all conflicts around the world.

"The UN is not a relic of the past, it is a compass for the future. Eighty years on, this is a moment for reflection, but also for candour. The UN should not be a stage where giants wrestle while smaller countries hold their breath. It should be a roundtable where every seat counts. Countries like ours, countries that belong in the Global South, are too often treated as chess pieces. It is time to show that we can be conveners, innovators and guarantors of cooperation," Vucic said.

"We may not have the loudest voice, but we also have the clearest vision, because we see both the East and the West at once," he noted.

"Our engagement with all partners does not mean blind agreement. It means respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and the belief that dialogue is stronger than divisions.

Serbia is a reliable, predictable partner, but reciprocity matters. We will defend our autonomy as firmly as we defend cooperation," Vucic said.

"The UN Charter was not written to serve one moment in history - it was written to withstand the test of time," he said.

"In a world facing deep geopolitical fractures, the UN Charter remains the only framework capable of holding us together. Serbia is not a buffer zone - it is a bridge, and bridges connect, they do not divide.

Therefore, as President of Serbia, for the first time, I would like to offer Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, as a place for dialogue for all the conflicts around the world. I believe that we will offer the best possible hospitality and absolute security for the participants," Vucic also said.

Speaking about the situation in Serbia's autonomous province of Kosovo-Metohija, Vucic said Serbs in the territory lived in dramatic circumstances and that their fundamental human rights were being denied on a daily basis.

He added that Serbia called on the international community to take concrete measures to stop violence in the province and ensure security and rights to all peoples living in Kosovo-Metohija.

Empathy is not sufficient, we need protection mechanisms, he said.