25.11.2024.
2:22
Vučić in an interview on the BBC: "I'm not sitting on two chairs. I'm only sitting on one – the Serbian chair"
An interview with the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, was broadcast on the popular program "Hard Talk" on BBC News.
"We have different points of view on this," said Vučić, speaking about the culprits behind the tragic events in the former Yugoslavia.
He repeated the proverb that "only donkeys do not change". When asked by the host about the resolution on Srebrenica, Vučić recalled that he was attacked during his visit to that city, and that 109 countries of the world in the UN General Assembly shared Serbia's opinion on whether it was genocide.
"No one denies what happened in Srebrenica. I believe in reconciliation in the region, but I do not believe in such a narrative that will bring more conflicts," said Vučić.
Assembly of Serbian Unity
The Assembly of Serbian Unity bothered the journalist. Vučić emphasized that the ideology of Greater Serbia is not in force, and said that it is a fabricated story that this ideology is in force. As he said, the story was invented by people who want to harm Serbia.
"If you take something out of context... We have no aspirations towards a single parliament. We have a parliament in Serbia, in Srpska, which is something completely different. I have said a thousand times that we support an independent Bosnia-Herzegovina, in accordance with the Dayton Agreement. I don't know what is not clear about that statement. No one has the right to diminish the right of Serbs to use their language," said Vučić.
He added that he has a relatively good relationship with Milorad Dodik and that he respects him.
"I don't give him orders and I don't decide on the politics of Republika Srpska. If someone wants to secede, it becomes the biggest crime. But I have to say - don't worry about Serbia. I think Dodik was provoked by another type of nationalists, those from Sarajevo. You cannot find a single statement of mine on this matter that is different from what I have already said," he said.
He added that there was never talk of joining Serbia, but that they talked about the rights of Serbs from Srpska. He pointed out that we have our own constitution and charters, and that we do not need anything from someone else, but that we will not give anything that belongs to us.
Kosovo and Metohija
The host also referred to Kosovo and Metohija. When asked about the non-recognition of Kosovo's independence, Vučić said that it was never said that we recognize Kosovo.
"Normalization of relations means peace and stability, to develop our economies, to have dialogue on different issues. It is more of a question for people who open Pandora's box. When you ask people if they recognize the territorial integrity of Ukraine, they say they do. But when you ask them about the bombing of Serbia in violation of the UN Charter, then they have nothing to say," said Vučić.
Vučić emphasized that although today we have resolution 1244, there is no answer to the question about the aggression against the FRY. He stressed that he believes in peace.
"We are not provoking anyone and we will not. I am happy with our economic development, Serbia is one of the fastest growing economies in Europe".
Relations with Russia
The well-known presenter also asked about relations with Russia. Vučić said that our trade is twice as low as it was.
"Many have imposed sanctions on Russia, but they are buying twice as much gas from it as before. I am not sitting on two chairs, as you can see, I am sitting on only one – the Serbian chair. We have supported Ukraine in terms of financial and humanitarian aid. There is no contradiction here, we are morally principled".
Vučić said that the EU report says that we have made limited progress on the road to Europe.
"This does not mean that we are going backwards. I completely agree with you that there are many things that we have to work on, and that is why we are working closely with institutions such as ODIHR. The EU report says that the Serbian economy is working perfectly well, but you are not interested to say so".
EU, Russia, China?
When asked whether Serbia aspires to join the EU or Russia and China, Serbian President said that he is proud to exclusively sit on the Serbian chair.
"Our goal is to become a full-pledged member of the EU and we will do our best to achieve that by the end of 2026," said Vučić.
"Trump asked me if I have a problem with the Chinese? I told him no, we don't have a problem with the Chinese. People can insult, despise and hate me, but that's my attitude," said Vučić.
Let's recall that Vučić himself announced his guest appearance on British television earlier on his Instagram profile.
"BBC Hard Talk – Is Serbia heading towards the West, Russia or China? Monday November 25 BBC World at 1:30 (after midnight), 11:30 and 23:30," he wrote.
By the way, Hard Talk is the most renowned political format broadcast on British national television.
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