She said that Serbia enjoys a high level of appreciation in this organization which was best demonstrated by the fact that UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay paid a visit to Serbia last year.

"On that occasion, Ms. Azoulay met with President Aleksandar Vucic, the Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Education, and the visit was very successful. After that, President Vucic in November 2019 participated in the 40th session of the UNESCO General Assembly and met with madam Director-General again. Activities are underway at multiple levels to strengthen the position of Serbia", Ambassador Rastovac Siamashvili explained. 

The Ambassador said that this was also demonstrated in the letter from UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikola Selakovic in which she clearly pointed out that Serbia is perceived as an active UNESCO member state promoting international cooperation and that, as a member of the Executive Board, it plays a leading role in shaping the contribution of the organization to the efforts made by governments across the globe in the context of the 2030 Agenda.

"All of this goes in our favour and supports our efforts aimed at preventing any unilateral moves by Pristina, which would be unacceptable, seeking to be admitted to UNESCO membership. On the other hand, it is extremely important to us that Director-General Azoulay holds a firm position and makes efforts to depoliticize the organization. This is also highly valued by our country", the Ambassador said.

This relationship is highly important to Serbia, she said, particularly in the context our fight for the preservation and restoration of the Serbian cultural heritage in Kosovo and Metohija.

The Ambassador said that Serbia submits annual reports to the World Heritage Centre on the situation regarding the conservation of these goods while pointing out the threat they are facing.

"We welcome the activity of UNESCO on the protection of our cultural heritage in Kosovo and Metohija, but it is absolutely unacceptable to us for an application of the so-called "Kosovo" to be  even considered, and I believe that our position is very good as our active engagement has been recognized. One such application would be a threat not only to Serbia but the organization itself, as it would clearly lead to its politicization", the Ambassador said.

She also underlines as important that Serbia is using its engagement within UNESCO to also promote its bilateral relations with its member states, with the issue of Kosovo and Metohija as a priority in our communication.

19 December 2020, Paris