Never to forget:
1999-2019 Belgrade declaration

On the occasion of the 20 th anniversary of the aggression of NATO
Alliance against Serbia (the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the FRY),
on 22 nd and 23 rd March, 2019 Belgrade was the venue of the International
Conference under slogan NEVER TO FORGET, and title “Peace and
Progress instead of Wars and Poverty”. The organisers of the Con-
ference are the Belgrade Forum for the World of Equals, the Federation
of Associations of Veterans of the National Liberation War of Serbia,
the Serbian Generals and Admirals Club, the Society of the Serbian
Hosts, in cooperation with the World Peace Council. Besides the par-
ticipants from Serbia, the Conference was attended by more than 200
distinguished guests from some 35 countries from all over the world,
whom the organisers welcomed and expressed sincerest gratitude for
their solidarity, support and huge humanitarian relief during one of
the most challenging periods in the recent history of Serbia and the
Serbian nation.
The program of activities marking this anniversary was dedicated
to preserving the lasting memory and paying tribute to the military
and the police personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice in the de-
fence of their country against the aggression, as well as to the civilian
victims including the very young, the very old, and the ailing victims
killed during this 78-day aggression by NATO.
The participants have unanimously condemned NATO aggression,
affirming that in its essence it was an illegal, invading and criminal
war against a peaceful sovereign European country, waged without the
UN Security Council mandate and under brute violation of the United
Nations Charter, the OSCE Helsinki Final (1975) and the basic princi-
ples of international law.
By attacking Serbia (the FRY), the leading Western powers cham-
pioned by the USA had exposed the freedom-loving and justness-ori-
ented Serbian people to anguish, devastation, and lasting suffering for
the sake of attaining their imperialistic geopolitical aims for control
of natural and energy resources, the road of transport and the sphere
of influence. This was neither ‘a small war’ nor ‘a humanitarian inter-
vention’, but rather a war of underlying geopolitical goals for the long-
term deployment of the US troops in the Balkans, for the establish-
ment of case precedent for future aggressions, and for the toppling of
legitimate governments, all within the Eastbound Expansion Strategy
and the overall goal of setting the global dominance. The history will
note the fact that, back in 1999, blindly following alien geopolitical in-
terests, Europe fought itself.
The Balkan is today more unstable. Europe is even more divided.
Europe’s backtracking to itself requires some soul-searching, courage
and the vision, including confession that the attack against Serbia (the
FRY) in 1999 was a colossal historical error.
The aggression’s masterminds and executors should be held re-
sponsible for their crimes. The aggression killed some 4,000 persons
(including 79 children), whereas additional 6,500 people were seriously
wounded. Direct material damage amounted to US 100 billion. It was
stressed that NATO and its members participating in the aggression
had duty to compensate the war damages to Serbia.
The participants of the Conference were informed about the find-
ings of scientific and expert analyses conducted so far, all confirming
that the use of ammunition filled with depleted uranium, and of
graphite and cluster bombs and other inflammable and toxic means
of warfare, have resulted in high levels of the long-term environmental
pollution and the massive-scale endangering of the Serbian citizens.
They welcomed the establishment of special bodies of both the nation-
al Assembly and of the Government of Serbia tasked with determin-
ing the consequences of NATO aggression reflected on the health of
population and the safety of environment and expressed support to
the work of those bodies.
The forcible and unlawful tearing Kosovo and Metohija off Serbia
continues, through the constant pressuring of Serbia to formally ac-
knowledge the splitting off of a part of territory of its State. Partici-
pants of the Conference underscored that a forcible taking of Kosovo
and Metohija apart from Serbia would become a precedent which, in
turn, would inevitably pave the way for drawing the new borders in
the Balkans and the creation of the so-called Greater Albania at the
expense of territories of the states of Serbia, North Macedonia, Greece,
and Montenegro, what must not be permitted.
NATO aggression against Serbia (the FRY) was a direct and simul-
taneous attack on the peace and security system in Europe and in
the world, which has been constructed on the outcome of the Second
World War. As conclusively demonstrated by the subsequent interven-
tions of the USA and its allies (Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Mali, Syria,
etc.), this aggression has served as case-precedent and template to
globalize the interventionism, a manual on how to utilize terrorism
and separatism to carry out the Western powers’ plans of conquest, in
order to forcibly topple ‘unsuitable’ regimes and impose geopolitical
interests of the West, notably, of the USA.
NATO aggression against Serbia (the FRY), an act of most blatant
violation of fundamental principles of the international law, is unjusti-
fiable; aggressor’s responsibility cannot be diminished by hypocritical
attempts to transfer responsibility onto Serbia or her that - time state
leadership. This NATO aggression made history as an indicator of
moral and civilisation decline that, twenty years on, the governments
of the leading aggressor countries have neither been pardoned, nor
gotten to learn the right lesson from.