Zivadin Jovanovic,
President of the Belgrade Forum for a World of Equals

Excerpts from the speech at the International Conference organized by
Mut zur Ethic, Sirnach, Switzerland, September 4th, 2022.

Peace can be preserved by peaceful means, only.
Prevailing narrative today is dominated by attitudes of confrontations, divisions, lining up democracies versus autocracies, escalation, winning the war over Russia by all means.  
Simplified approaches and division on “healthy” and “malign” strategies – sign of weakness.
Illustrative of the global trends are the past June summits – NATO+ (Madrid), G-7 (Elma, Germany), BRIKS+ (Beijing). First two – fueling confrontation, escalation, militarization and sanctions; third – advocating global development, call for partnership.

Global militarization of political decision making, economy, infrastructure, mass media, education – militarization of global thinking.
The pains of birth of the new democratic, inclusive, just World Order.
Pattern of confrontation to be replaced by pattern of detente, peace, partnership, global development.

Openness, adaptation to new realities, vision of common future of mankind.
One New inclusive World Order for the whole mankind, based on sovereign equality of nations and peaceful coexistence - not two, in parallel, confronted.
Vision of common future requires mutual respect.

Global challenges, such as pandemics, climate warming, recession, food and energy production and distribution, need global concerted efforts.

Exclusiveness, domination or hegemonism have to go to history.
Inclusive dialogue based on equality, respect of mutual interests

Dialogue on root causes of problems:

- addressing root causes of escalation, not propaganda
- Consequences of geopolitics of expansion, breach of agreements after the fall of the Berlin Wall
- Real meaning of indivisibility of peace and security, equal security for all – sine qua non
- avoid nuclear catastrophe
- using tactical, “low yield” nuclear armament – dangerous miscalculation
- How to narrow gaps, divisions, mistrust, egoism, protectionism
- Solving present challenges by future oriented, proactive approaches

The role of the Movement of Nonaligned (NAM), making 2/3 of UN membership, in reinstating dialogue and détente.
Role of peace associations, think-thanks, academia and mass-media
The Balkans – long neglected by EU and the West, destabilized and badly damaged by 1999 NATO aggression, now faced with pressures from the same factors to abandon good relations and partnership with Russia and China.

Serbia remains open for win-win cooperation, military neutral, does not wish to join NATO (86% against), nor illegal sanctions against Russia. From the own recent history Serbia is quite aware that sanctions have effects as the armament for massive destruction. EU sanctions against Russia seems to be getting more and more counterproductive.
1999 NATO illegal aggression on the side of separatism in Kosovo and Metohija, violation of UN Charter and Helsinki (1975) Final Document remain tragic precedents. NATO brought back the war to European soil. The problem of the status of Kosovo and Metohija can be resolved on the basis of UN SC resolution 1244, only.
Balkans turning to itself.
The past week Belgrade has been the venue of three days manifestations and Summit of the Open Balkan leaders of Serbia, Albania and N. Macedonia, joined by the leaders of Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary and Turkey.