Jeremic: The UN Has a Unique Opportunity to Renew Itself

CIRSD President Vuk Jeremic, in a wide-ranging feature-length interview for the renowned Serbian weekly magazine Nedeljnik, speaks about Serbia’s foreign policy, the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, increasingly frequent local crises threatening to escalate into large scale conflicts, the role of China in international relations, the future of the EU and the importance of the UN in the 21st century. 

“The UN is the only universal political organization and we should not ruin what we have now, at least not until a new planetary consensus is reached. Besides, in our age, when there is a great need for an international agreement on a new global development agenda and another to counter the effects of climate change, the UN has an opportunity to inject new life, a renewal that would enable it to become the center for harmonizing the actions of states. I believe that the UN could lead the charge in the struggle to establish sustainable development across the planet, if it is reformed in a way that would better reflect the 21st century world“, he said.

Speaking about the upcoming Serbian presidency of the OSCE, he added that “Serbia should not stand aside in international relations, but should instead employ an active and multivectoral foreign policy, with the goal of helping to ease tensions on the European continent and contribute to preventing the onset of a new Cold War – one that would be detrimental to its vital interests.“

Jeremic also spoke of Russian and the West’s perspectives on today’s Serbia, assessing thereby where the country stands between the two doctrines – “neither East nor West“ and “both East and West“. „We find ourselves in a geographic space that has been long permeated by actions of many influential but mutually opposing international actors. I think that no matter how we name it, a wise approach rests on the intention to nurture the best possible relations with all actors in order to ensure the fulfillment of our national interest. This is the only way for the country to benefit from its strategic geographic position. The goal of our foreign policy is to use such a position as a comparative advantage as opposed to a drawback“, he argued.

“I believe deeply that only a dynamic and multidimensional foreign policy could ensure sufficient enough space to maneuver, and create the necessary conditions for our economic recovery,“ Jeremic stressed.

CIRSD President spoke about his experiences from the year long presidency of the UN General Assembly, and overall significance of leading international organizations. In reference to his prospective engagement in politics, Jeremic said: “I feel that one can remain active in socially useful and public space without being a party member. “

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