Address to World Summit 2020, Seoul, Korea, February 3-8, 2020
Dear excellency presidents, ladies and gentlemen, let me begin by expressing my deep appreciation to the staff of UPF International and partners for organizing such an amazing summit on a scale never seen before. We all have witnessed during these past days great events and important messages given to the world.
This is also the centenary year of Reverend Moon’s birth, and surely it is a great opportunity to testify to his great legacy of peace. In his lifetime Father Moon achieved so much that even nations cannot do, and we are grateful to be part of UPF and its great work and principles.
Last year I had the opportunity to attend some of the UPF summits organized around the world—here in Korea; in Johannesburg, South Africa; and in Tirana, Albania, where I had the privilege, together with Dr. [Katsumi] Otsuka [regional chair of UPF], to be the co-chair of the Organizing Committee of the Southeast Europe Peace Summit on Peace, Security and Human Development.
I believe it was a great summit, and many of you who are part of this event today participated and gave precious contributions to its success. The Podgorica Club also participated in this summit, making a valuable contribution to it. The Albanian government supported the summit, along with many national and international partners.
Many important issues were discussed regarding peace and security in Southeast Europe in general, and in the Balkan region in particular, and also new goals and objectives were set.
As we know, the new initiative of Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, the International Summit Council for Peace, was launched last year here in Korea, and I had the honor to be part of it. In the Tirana summit I was selected as the chairman of the Steering Committee to develop the International Summit Council for Peace in the Balkans and Europe. It is not an easy task to do, but I am determined to do my best so that, together with other Balkan leaders, we can build necessary bridges of peace, reconciliation and cooperation, so the generations to come won’t go through what we have gone through.
We have begun drafting some action steps for our work in the Balkans and Europe during this year 2020. We consider it necessary to hold a meeting at the UN headquarters in Vienna and with EU Council leaders in Brussels, on key issues in the Balkans and on the problems that came out during the summit in Tirana. And later, a roundtable meeting will be held in Istanbul, Turkey, about hot issues in relation to Europe and the Middle East. The contribution of each and every one of you will be very much appreciated.
We would like the Balkans to become the generator of peace and hope for its people and beyond, because I strongly believe it has the power and the potential to make it, and we must go beyond Winston Churchill’s famous expression about our region, “The Balkans produce more history than they can consume.”
We are not decision makers, but still we have the responsibility to speak up for what is right, and surely our opinion carries weight and should be heard. The Western Balkans is a real part of Europe. The hope and aspiration of the Western Balkans is to join the EU, and this is good for the Western Balkans and the EU. In 2020, we hope that the EU leadership will look in a positive way at the issue of enlargement for Albania and Northern Macedonia, and also other problems in the region. However, we must continue to work in solving our problems first and show to the EU what we are able to do and that we deserve to be part of the European Union.
The relations between Serbia and Kosovo are key to increasing the stability of the region. So far, despite international efforts, a normal and lasting solution to the situation still has not been achieved. Current political leaders should put an end to the tensions between the two countries. They must, with courage and with responsibility to their peoples, find solutions and make the right decisions, overcoming the remnants of past concepts of nationalism. People want peace and tranquility in order to live a normal life. So politics must address the problems in a fair and acceptable way.
The situation in Bosnia, of course, also needs to be addressed, and a solution should be found. It is great that we have representatives from almost all Balkan countries in this summit, and I believe we all agree with this.
I am of the opinion that UPF should strengthen its cooperation with the Podgorica Club as much as possible. This will really help in achieving our common goals, to support and speed up the process of finding solutions for the problems of our region. [Former Montenegrin] President [Filip] Vujanović, who is also the chairman of the Podgorica Club, agrees with this. Joining forces will be much more effective.
The Universal Peace Federation is providing a wonderful platform for leaders of all countries, from diverse backgrounds, to come together and discuss world and regional issues. Once we come together, share together and listen to each other’s concerns and worries, we better understand each other, and it makes it easier to go beyond our national interests and look for more inclusive and cohesive solutions.
I hope we will go back to our countries with more confidence and determination to foster peace in our region and become a shining hope for Europe.
Thank you for your attention!
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To go to the World Summit 2020 Schedule page, click here.