Statement by First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic:

“Serbia is fighting a tough, political and diplomatic battle to prevent the admission of the so-called Republic of Kosovo to UNESCO, struggling not only against untruths, injustices and double standards, but also against the intense lobbying and pressure by sponsors of Kosovo’s request with all countries that have not recognized the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo to at least abstain in the vote.

Voting procedure in UNESCO is specific; only the votes cast in favour and those against are counted, but not the abstentions. So, only a two-thirds majority of those voting in favour and against the motion will suffice to Kosovo, and not a two-thirds majority of all who voted. That is why Kosovo’s request passed through at the Executive Council of UNESCO, although it did not have a majority of votes.

Therefore, the statement by Bojan Pajtic that the government is making a mockery of it, even though it knows that Kosovo does not have a two-thirds majority, is the culmination of the political hypocrisy of the Democratic Party, because at the time of their government Kosovo became independent and was already recognized by 86 countries. Instead of engaging in the honourable struggle for the protection of the Serbian cultural and religious heritage, Bojan Pajtic and the Democratic Party use Kosovo as the topic for the attacks on the Serbian Government and Prime Minister Vucic and an escape from the harsh reality that today’s opposition in Serbia is
one of the most irresponsible, least capable and weakest in the Serbian history, both recent and remote.”