In her address, Marina Ragus thanked the attending for the honour of participating in an event that deals with a crucial political topic - territorial integrity and sovereignty of states.

She highlighted the long-standing friendship and mutual respect between the Republic of Serbia and the People's Republic of China, which has in the last decade, thanks to the leadership of President Aleksandar Vucic and President Xi Jinping, reached a historic level through a comprehensive strategic partnership and steely friendship.

"Under the leadership of the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, and the President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping, we have managed to raise the relations between our countries to the highest level. The comprehensive strategic partnership and steely friendship, primarily thanks to our two leaders, resulted in the signing of around 28 important documents last year during the visit of the President of the People's Republic of China. One of the most significant is the Free Trade Agreement, which has in just one year yielded significant results in all areas. Serbia was the only country in Europe given the opportunity and honour to sign the Joint Statement on building the community of Serbia and China with a common future in the new era, which testifies to great trust and support. And all this in a time of great geopolitical challenges, the kind that happen once in a hundred years," stressed the National Assembly Deputy Speaker.

She emphasised the importance of the three global initiatives launched by President Xi Jinping: civilizational, security and development, which promote peaceful coexistence, respect for diversity and economic cooperation. Serbia and China, she said, today represent a model of successful international partnership. She particularly recalled Serbia's consistent support for the "One China" principle, referring to the Cairo and Potsdam declarations as fundamental international acts of the post-war order.

Speaking about the issue of Kosovo-Metohija, Ragus stressed that this territory, in accordance with the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia and UN Security Council Resolution 1244, is an integral part of Serbia. She warned of alarming data concerning violence and discrimination against Serbs and other non-Albanians in Kosovo-Metohija, as well as the continuous violation of international law by the Pristina authorities. She cited numerous examples of repression, militarisation, usurpation of property and denial of basic human rights.

"In only the last four years of the Albin Kurti regime, there have been 654 ethnically motivated attacks on Serbs and other non-Albanians documented, which have not been prosecuted, which is almost equal to the number of attacks in the previous eight-year period — from 2013 to 2021. At the beginning of last year, President Vucic recalled that Resolution 1244 involves demilitarisation, while the so-called Kosovo Security Force, which should not even exist under international law, possesses a total of about 223 armoured vehicles, including Humvees, Vulcans, Kirpis, Cobras and others. As President Vucic pointed out at the time, they want to increase that number to 250, and by 2027 they will have 5,500 professional soldiers in the so-called KSF and another 20,000 in the first reserve. These are their plans," warned Ragus.

She emphasised that Pristina has the fastest growing military budget in the region, which has doubled, and that they are continuously striving to ethnically cleanse Kosovo-Metohija of Serbs through their actions. She recalled that the Serbian President spoke about this at the UN Security Council session in April last year.

Ragus concluded that destabilization of the region is not in Serbia's interest and that respect for international legal order and the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity is necessary for preserving peace and stability. She thanked to China for its support for Serbia's territorial integrity and emphasised the shared responsibility for building a more just and secure world.