March 27th, 2024.
Zivadin Jovanovic, president of the Belgrade Forum for a World of Equals
THE INTERVIEW FOR "THE GLOBAL TIMES", BEIJING
Q. Recently, Serbia marked the 25th anniversary of the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. How does the NATO bombing still affect people in Serbia today?
R. Yes, indeed. Serbia mourned and paid respect to more than 4.000 people killed by NATO 25 years ago. We also remembered that NATO bombed Chinese embassy in Belgrade killing three Chinese journalists. NATO had used missiles with depleted uranium, cluster bombs and other forbidden means and methods provoking maligned deceases and deaths of people even today. Material damage inflicted by the aggressor amounts to over 100 billion of US dollars.
The objective of USA led NATO was to take the Province of Kosovo and Metohija from Serbia, transform it into carrier of USA troupes for expansion to the East, to topple the government of the President Slobodan Milosevic, make a precedent for the future military interventions violating of the UN Charter and the supremacy of the UN Security Council and International Law, in general, as well as to firmly discipline European allies behind the concept of uni-polar world order, behind USA geostrategic interests. In 1999 NATO went beyond its 1949 Founding Act, at the same time, abandoning defensive and adopting offensive aggressive character.
USA/NATO pursues these interests today. Military aggression has been replaced by other means. Right now they use pressure and blackmail Serbia to recognizes secession of its autonomous province of Kosovo and Metohija, accepts its membership in the international organizations and so on. Serbia, of course, will not submit. Economically, Serbia has not as yet fully recovered, ruins from the aggression could be seen even in the heart of Belgrade, but Serbia, nevertheless maintains constant rise of the GDP, even above the European average. Unfortunately, area of the Balkan is far from stable, Europe divided, dependant, militarized.
Q.You attended an international conference in Belgrade in late March that marked the anniversary. The theme of the conference was "From the Aggression to a New Just Order." What are the obstacles to a new just world order?
A.Main obstacles to the new world order based on the principle of sovereign equality and non-interference in internal affairs is the policy of expansion and global domination of the minority of western countries led by USA. They seem not to understand the global changes and trends of multi-polarization and tend to believe that they can stop those historic trends, even, reverse them, by force, including nuclear. Such doctrines represent main source of serious threats to global peace and development. It is threat to humanity.
Q. Taking into consideration the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia 25 years and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, what role does NATO play in facilitating US hegemony?
A. First, I think that the NATO aggression on Yugoslavia in 1999. was the beginning of the globalization of military interventionism of USA led NATO. Afterwards, we saw many interventions and aggressions based on the 1999 NATO precedent on Yugoslavia. German politician Willy Wimmer has said in 2022 that the "first bombes on Ukraine were thrown in 1999 during NATO attack on Yugoslavia".
USA led NATO, in my opinion, is military, nuclear fist of expansionist strategy, of the global domination within uni-polarity, protector of the the interest of neoliberal, multinational corporative system.
Q. The US has leveraged NATO to sustain dominance over Europe. Do you think Europe has the will and ability to reflect on its position? Is Europe feeling more secure or less secure?
In my opinion, European autonomy at present is at the lowest level in the whole period after the Second World War. Its dignity, identity and morality too. It is not because of the people, European nations or cultural heritage; it is, first of all, because of the quality of the present political elite which has lost the sense of traditional civilization values, which seems to have abandoned morality, solidarity, justice, legality and which has practically reduced everything and everybody to the profit, profit by all means. I don't know, really, what term would suit the best to express such a characteristics, but perhaps, it is not far from – corruption, one way or the other. Global changes under way, however, could hardly levee Europe untouched. Some changes toward autonomy, dignity, sovereignty, are taking place, particularly in some European countries, like Hungary, Slovakia and others. We shall see what the June EU elections will show. I hope for the beginning of changes to the better. One elections may not be sufficient, but the trends matter.
Q.China was also a victim of NATO bombing 25 years ago. In the past two years, NATO has declared China a security challenge. NATO chief also linked what's happening in Ukraine to the Taiwan question. What is NATO's purpose toward China?
A.It is true. China was also the victim of NATO military aggression in 1999. I would say, not the victim only, but the target. While the aggression was in full swing destroying mainly civilian infrastructure, passenger's trains in Grdelica, apartment's buildings in Aleksinac, green market in the City of Nis, on May 7th, 1999 USA bombers hit Chinese Embassy in Belgrade, killing three Chinese journalists and wounding many more staff members. A dozen of minutes after, I was at the scene seeing public services taking out survivors from debris. Bombs were still hitting nearby Hotel "Jugoslavia" and surrounding park, when Chinese Ambassador Pan Jangling was freed out of ruins and I could express to him personal and my Government solidarity and condolences.
Should anybody wonder why Serbia and China are "steel friends", comprehensive strategic partners ever since?
Who, what and why represents the challenge depends on who is assessing it and from positions of which values. Learning from recent history, I suppose, every country insisting on sovereign equality, inclusive World Order, mutual respect – represents a challenge for western power centers. Countries demanding equal security, sovereignty over natural resources, such as oil and gas reserves, uranium and other strategic minerals deposits, huge markets, geostrategic connectivity lines - have always been challenge for NATO and western power centers.
What we have been witnessing over the past decades, is that US/NATO has for years now been expanding and reinforcing presence through its branches in Far East and Indo-Pacific like Quad and some newly born alliances, in attempt. Seen from Europe, US/NATO expansionist strategy is directed to the East, to Russia, Caspian Sea and Middle East. Seen from Far East and Indo-Pacific the same strategy is directed to the West. Asia and Siberia seem to be real objective, from both geographic positions. USA/NATO exploits similar, or the same means and methods: spreading fear, insecurity and disorientation, demonstrating power through series of massive "defenders" exercises, offering protection of scarred ones, use of separatism, terrorism and human rights and soon. We know of their theses that China represents "systemic" challenge and Russia malign influence. This only means that they have no solutions for their own problems or courage to face new reality. So far, they opt to continue living in the past as privileged ones instead to adapt accepting new reality called – equality and live in togetherness.
Interviewer: Ms. Wang Wenwen
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