Aleksandar Vucic says he is “looking forward to each encounter at the EU-Western Balkans summit in Sofia.”
But, the president continued on Tuesday, he “doesn’t expect particularly good news for our country.”
“We’re have a big problem. We’ve made many mistakes, many circumstances are not in our favor, but it remains for us to protect, love, guard our country, and that’s what we’re doing. I look forward to each encounter, each conversation,” Vucic told a joint news conference with RS President Milorad Dodik after their meeting in Belgrade.
Asked about Serbia’s participation in the summit – considering that the participation of three EU member-states is under the question mark because of the planned presence of Kosovo – Vucic observed that the gathering will take place on May 17, “and there will be many more important meetings between now and then.”
He said he would have “some very important conversations” between April 10 and 12, including about Kosovo and Metohija.
Vucic reiterated that he was looking forward to meetings in Sofia, but that he does not expect particularly good news.
“We will fight with all our might and all our heart and energy to move forward a little something that was finished in 2008 with the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo, which we directly admitted to them in 2010 and 2011 through the ICJ (International Court of Justice) ruling. And we managed to do something, to step forward and fight for Kosovo and Metohija, but the interests of Western powers are different,” Vucic said.
“What is especially difficult for us is that the Albanian side has no desire whatsoever for compromise,” he continued.
“Even today they say… ‘we are working on the ZSO (Community of Serb Municipalities)’… what is it that you’re doing, sowing potatoes, digging up ditches… what exactly is that you’re doing, please, tell me. And you’ve been selling these tricks for five years. And what are you doing, show me one move that you’ve made,” Vucic said, apparently addressing authorities in Pristina.
He added that “no move of theirs speaks to the ZSO being worked on – and then the question is for how long to put up with deception and tricks.”
“We’re not quite that stupid and naive. And like I said a week ago, that they will not do anything seriously, here it’s clear that I was right. Now they’re fighting about Gulenists,” Vucic said, referring to controversial extraditions from Kosovo to Turkey of several Gulen movement members. “Some of them are closer to the Turks, others to the Americans – until that moment when the Serbs are across the table from them, and they immediately unite and have the support of the ones, the others, the third side – and we should look only to preserve our state interests.”
Otherwise, Vucic announced during the news conference with Milorad Dodik that Serbia would provide five million euros as a new assistance package to municipalities in the Serb Republic (RS), the Serb entity in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
See at: https://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics.php?yyyy=2018&mm=04&dd=03&nav_id=103855
