Aleksandar Ðenić | New Communist Party of Yugoslavia (Serbia)

Dear Comrades,

I greet you on behalf of the New Communist Party of Yugoslavia. I am proud to be from a country that supported African decolonization. During Yugoslavia’s socialist period, many Africans studied here, experiencing solidarity and comradeship firsthand. This positive aspect of our shared history can serve as a model for our future. It was Yugoslavia’s most progressive time, a period of sovereignty and dignity when society was built for the people, not for capital. While we acknowledge the mistakes of that era and refuse to idealize it―evident by the counter-revolutionary forces that overcame us―there is still much to learn from our socialist and anti-imperialist struggles.

Our region, the Balkans, holds strategic importance, drawing imperialist powers like NATO, which now occupies our territory. NATO represents the greatest security threat globally, and Serbia felt its impact during the 1999 bombing. Serbia has borne the brunt of Western imperialism, suffering displacement, war crimes like the use of depleted uranium, cluster bombs and ongoing consequences for which no one has been held accountable.

However, all the former Yugoslav peoples have suffered from the violent dismantling of Yugoslavia and the resulting political and economic dependency on the West. We are now prey for imperialist interests. It is crucial for the region’s people to reject the “divide and conquer” strategy that weakens states and turns them into protectorates, as in the case of Kosovo, which hosts the largest U.S. military base in the Balkans, Bondsteel. Western imperialism’s plans continue to destabilize the region, deepening capitalist exploitation and binding countries to NATO and the EU.

Western imperialism portrayal of events in Yugoslavia has been distorted to protect those truly responsible and obscure the real causes of the war. Under NATO and EU pressure, Serbia is being pressured to recognize Kosovo as independent, under the guise of a “historical solution,” when in reality, Western powers aim to maintain control over the Balkans.

On May 23, the UN voted to establish a remem-brance day for the 1995 Srebrenica genocide. This move was met with outrage by Serbians and progressives worldwide, as it attempts to rewrite the history of imperialism in Eastern Europe. Western powers, while committing atrocities in places like Palestine, are shedding crocodile tears over past events. The West armed and funded those responsible for Srebrenica as part of its broader strategy to destroy Yugoslavia’s territorial and economic integrity.

The New Communist Party of Yugoslavia (NKPJ) condemns the UN resolution on Srebrenica, which seeks to shift responsibility away from Western imperialists onto the Serbian people. The fact that more countries opposed or abstained from the resolution than supported it (only 84 in favor) demonstrates a global rejection of Western hypocrisy.

By pushing this resolution, Western imperialists aim to deepen divisions between the Yugoslav peoples, particularly Bosniaks and Serbs, to justify NATO’s continued presence. They also seek to demonize Serbs to pressure Serbia into recognizing Kosovo’s independence, to destroy the Republic of Serbia and imposing sanctions on Russia.

While there was no genocide in Srebrenica, we do not excuse the monstrous crime committed there. The perpetrators bring shame to the Serbian people and deserve nothing but contempt. The UN vote revealed Serbia’s true friends: socialist countries like China, Cuba, and North Korea, and anti-imperialist nations like Belarus, Nicaragua, and Syria. In contrast, Western imperialists remain Serbia’s adversaries, despite efforts by Serbia’s bourgeois government to integrate into the EU and NATO.

To preserve its independence, Serbia must halt its EU and NATO integration and strengthen ties with socialist and anti-imperialist countries, as well as Russia. Joining the BRICS alliance would further safeguard Serbia’s sovereignty.

Serbia’s post-2000 governments have pursued imperialist integration, including military exercises with NATO, destroying our financial sector, privatizing industry, and undermining education and healthcare. However, Serbia retains some sovereignty because we are not a member of the EU and NATO, as it has resisted sanctions on Russia and maintains good relations with Cuba, Venezuela, and China, making it a target of Western pressure.

One of the best examples of the counterrevolu-tionary process in our country since 2000 is the government’s decision to allow the mining company Rio Tinto to conduct research on our land in 2001. In Western Serbia, they discovered lithium. This region has fertile land, clean drinking water, and abundant underground water. Lithium mining is considered one of the most environmentally damaging extraction processes. Furthermore, our government currently plans to lease the land to Rio Tinto for 99 years, with a rental fee of just 4%.

In recent years, there have been massive protests against this plan. Before the last election, the government suspended the 2001 decision. However, after the election, the Constitutional Court ruled that the suspension was unconstitutional, and Rio Tinto’s project was reinstated. Shortly after, Olaf Scholz visited Serbia, strongly supporting President Vuči큓 and the government. He emphasized that lithium in Serbia is of strategic importance to the EU in its competition with China.

Following this, protests erupted again. In response, the president and government launched an aggressive campaign in favor of lithium mining, even attempting to label the protests as a “Color Revolution.” However, they overlooked the fact that Western powers supported them in this process. The people are determined to resist both Rio Tinto and the government’s plans, as they aim to protect their land and refuse to let Serbia become a mining colony for the EU.

Meanwhile, Belgrade’s mayor, Aleksandar Šapi큓, has launched an anti-communist campaign, including plans to dismantle Tito’s mausoleum, Tomb of People’s Heroes and erect a monument to the Nazi collaborator Dragoljub Mihailovi큓.

Western propaganda, heavily funded through NGOs, dominates Serbian universities and media. Conservative forces, while claiming to oppose NATO, focus on stoking ethnic tensions rather than addressing Western imperialism’s role in the region. Liberals, similarly influenced by Western funding, push for “reconciliation,” which in reality means continued occupation and exploitation.

Zionist propaganda is also strong in Serbia, with the government maintaining close ties to Israel, including arms sales. Zionists manipulate the narrative by comparing Serbs like victims of Palestinian “terrorists” in Bosnia and Kosovo, attempting to justify Israel’s actions in Gaza. Despite this, some Serbian politicians in Government support BRICS and oppose Western imperialism, though they remain in the minority.

Serbia’s so-called leftist forces have also campaigned against the NKPJ and SKOJ, but we have made significant electoral progress. Comrade Aleksandar Deni큓 recently became the first communist member of parliament in Belgrade after 33 years. We aim to build a broad front against the EU, NATO, and imperialism, and for socialism and BRICS in our country.

Against imperialism and war!

For peace and socialism!

Death to imperialism, freedom to the peoples!