BELGRADE, Serbia

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic urged the “great powers of the world” to ensure peace Tuesday and to resolve conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East so the world could dedicate itself to the fight against climate change.

"The world is moving on the edge of the abyss, they threaten each other, and if only one goes too far - that's the end," Vucic said in ab address to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP29) World Leaders Summit in Azerbaijan.

He said fear and nervousness cannot be hidden -- such a scenario could not fail to reflect on us.

Vucic said drought, floods, forest fires air and water pollution, and all other climate problems need to be dealt with, but before that, peace must be established.

"Today, no one likes the word peace, because everyone wants to defeat the other -- they want the other side to be defeated. On the other hand, we have to invest much more in peace, otherwise, we will have to invest much more money in armaments and ammunition and weapons, like what we are doing today, instead of massively investing in all the instruments to combat climate change," said Vucic.

A large gas power plant project with Azerbaijan

Vucic later told reporters that he and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev are planning to build a large gas power plant in Serbia.

“It would significantly ensure our needs for electricity, and energy in the future,” said Vucic.

He said Azerbaijan is building power plants capable of producing 1 gigawatt of electricity, while Serbia is limited to around 300 - 350 megawatts.

"If we could build one large power plant, it would significantly ensure our needs for electricity in the future. We have to take care of that," he said.

The 29th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) began Monday in Baku, bringing together world leaders, policymakers and activists with a renewed commitment to address intensifying climate crises.

This year’s conference promises an emphasis on actionable commitments and innovative funding mechanisms to drive global progress.​​​​​​​