Vucic Meets Landau, Von der Leyen Before UN Speech

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met yesterday, September 22, in New York with United States Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, as part of the Strategic Dialogue the two countries are conducting. The same day he also spoke briefly with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, while he ran into French President Emmanuel Macron in the hallways of the United Nations headquarters, between two scheduled meetings. The meetings come ahead of Vucic’s address to the General Debate of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, scheduled for today, September 23, at around 10 p.m. Central European Time.

Until yesterday, all that was known here was that Vucic was in New York and that he would speak on Wednesday. What is new are these meetings themselves and the exact timing of tonight’s address.

What was said to Landau

Vucic described the meeting with Landau as one of the more important ones of this year’s trip. On Instagram, he wrote that they discussed relations between Serbia and the United States, investments and political issues.

An extraordinary, outstanding meeting with @deputysecstate Christopher Landau, one of our most important interlocutors within the Strategic Dialogue we are conducting with the United States. We talked about further strengthening relations between Serbia and the United States, investments, political issues and other important topics we want to address through open and constructive dialogue. I particularly emphasized the importance of preserving peace and stability in the Western Balkans and Serbia’s responsible policy at a time of major geopolitical change. We want an even stronger presence of American companies and more projects that will bring concrete results for our citizens and our economy.

The president added that the Strategic Dialogue had opened additional room for cooperation in the fields of economy, investment, energy and new technologies, as well as for more frequent exchanges of views on regional and global issues.

Von der Leyen and Macron

The conversation with Ursula von der Leyen was shorter, but the president highlighted his gratitude for the support the European Commission had given Serbia in previous years.

I had the opportunity, in a brief conversation with Ursula von der Leyen, to express sincere gratitude for everything she has done for Serbia in previous years. I believe that Serbia, regardless of the outcome of the elections, will speed up its path toward full membership in the European Union.

The exchange with Macron was unplanned, in passing through the corridors of the UN headquarters.

When between two meetings you literally run into a friend. With President Macron, in passing, each of us on the way to the next meeting. That’s how it goes at the UN General Assembly: many meetings, little time, and some of the best conversations happen entirely by chance.

That same day, Vucic also spoke with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Romanian President Nicusor Dan, Slovenian President Janez Jansa, Austrian Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker, Czech President Petr Pavel, Polish President Karol Nawrocki and Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. He also attended a reception hosted for heads of delegations by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, as well as an event on the impact of artificial intelligence on children’s rights, organized by Macron together with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Kenyan President William Ruto and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

The president also announced that the arrival of the new US ambassador to Belgrade, Michael Jung, is expected by the end of the year. According to some reports from New York, the Albanian diaspora has announced protests outside the UN headquarters against his presence.

Tonight’s speech, fifth of sixteen

The afternoon session of the General Debate is set to feature sixteen speakers, with Vucic fifth in line, following Polish President Karol Nawrocki, Namibian President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, Slovak President Peter Pellegrini and Kenyan President William Ruto. After Serbia, representatives of Montenegro, Spain and other countries are scheduled to speak. The recommended length for each address is fifteen minutes, although UN practice shows that speeches are often extended.

Ahead of the address, Vucic previewed what he plans to say.

For me, the most important thing is that it can be heard and seen, at least to some extent, that I am representing Serbia’s interests.

According to the announcements, the president is expected to address the position of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, energy security and what he calls the double standards the international community applies toward Serbia. For Vucic, this will be his last address to the UN General Assembly as president of Serbia, which gives the speech a symbolic weight that his previous addresses did not carry.