Vucic called on the Serbs from northern Kosovo to come forward with an initiative for elections

Tonight, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, called on the Serbs from northern Kosovo to initiate early elections to gain control of the key levers of power in northern Kosovo.

"This is my request, to participate in elections as soon as possible, and through this process, we will start the consolidation and determine how and in what way to place the basic levers of power into the hands of those who live there, away from those who have never lived there and never will," Vucic said on TV Prva.

He added that those who claimed that the Serbs had left the institutions should be aware that they had done so only when Albin Kurti had practically abolished them.

"He abolished that police by removing Djuric, and then they left the institutions, not of their own accord. The key reason is that they had been waiting for the formation of the CSM for ten years, and the CSM had not been formed," Vucic said.

He emphasized that this had been clear even at that time, but many wanted to forget it.

"It's clear why they rebelled, but no one wants to admit it. Some go from one embassy to another, from Brussels to Washington, to discredit their own country. That's the only thing they do, and the Serbs in Kosovo, monasteries... they have never interested them," he added.

Vucic stated that Serbia had a responsible and serious state leadership, which approached problems in this way.

"I didn't go to Granada to waste time and take a joint photograph; I did my job diligently, and I believe we managed to accomplish a lot, but there's still much ahead of us. We must take care of ourselves and our country. We'll succeed in that, despite the bleak predictions of those who seek to undermine their own state," Vucic said.

He stressed the importance of attempts to continue the dialogue, even though there was no real dialogue since Pristina did not want it.

There won't be sanctions against citizens; if there are, they will be against me

Vucic also stated that he didn’t believe there would be any sanctions against Serbian citizens, but if anyone attempted to impose them, they would be against him personally.

When asked if citizens had reason to fear war and sanctions, he emphasized that no one could predict the future, but people in Serbia could be calm, peaceful, and safe.

"I believe that we will have and succeed in preserving peace, thanks to the strength of our state and army. If the army were weaker, we would not have had peace for a long time because many would have taken action against us," he said.

Vucic said he didn’t believe there would be any sanctions against Serbian citizens.

"I don't believe there will be any sanctions against our citizens. If someone wants to impose them, both from inside and outside, they will be against me personally. People won't feel any effects regarding visas, their standard of living, ... You know I'm a pessimist and a very cautious person," the President of Serbia said.

He emphasized that he always relied on hard and diligent work, rather than the nonsense that could be read in the media and on social networks.

For opposition Banjska is not Kurti's fault - Vucic is to blame

President Vucic ironically noted that the "heroes", a part of the opposition who had written to Josep Borrell demanding that the President be punished for the events in Banjska, had gathered and went to embassies saying, "Vucic is to blame".

"There wouldn't have been such a thing in Banjska if it weren't for Vucic. When you look at them, people in Serbia will think that being a politician means being corrupt and a thief. They always start from themselves and cannot imagine that someone exists who is not like them, someone who doesn't abandon their ideals, who doesn't abandon Kosovo and Metohija, who isn't afraid of measures against them," Vucic said.

Recalling that the hostess told him last time that he was resourceful, Vucic says he wouldn't be proud of that because it would mean he's a "political prostitute".

"I'm not resourceful, and I won't adapt as the President of Serbia. The question of morality in politics is essential and fundamental; these people have sent a letter in which they complain. Have you ever heard me send a letter to anyone abroad, or have you ever heard me go abroad to complain and ask someone from the outside to punish someone in the country? I have never done that; it's not decent, it's not normal. They said Kurti was not guilty, Vucic was guilty, punish Vucic because that's a way to return to the 1990s because someone has set the country on the right track, there's money again that we could steal, let's report it," the President said.

He noted that this was not the first time in Serbia and pointed out that in 1943, the German military command had asked the citizens of Belgrade not to report illegal activities and those they found suspicious.

"Whenever Serbia is in trouble, one part of the people bear it in the most dignified way, and one part looks for ways to harm their country, but Serbian citizens should not worry because we will overcome all those who wish us ill and help them by working, making an effort, strengthening the army to prevent them from attacking us," he said.

Responding to the observation that the opposition, regardless of whether they know exactly what happened in Banjska, and whether he had some knowledge about that know that he is responsible and guilty, Vucic says that everyone is saying, "Kurti is not guilty, Vucic is guilty".

He stated that there was no difference between Bosko Obradovic, Dragan Djilas, Marinika Tepic, and Nemanja Sarovic.

"Those who shot at Dragisa Galjak are not to blame; there is still no investigation into that. There is no investigation, nor will there be one, for the close-range shooting of Milan Delevic, Srecko Sofronijevic, Boban Cuzic, and the boys Milos and Stefan Stojanovic on Christmas Eve. There is no investigation for the close-range shooting of Mijailovic, and we think the same thing happened to Milenkovic from a slightly greater distance. Vucic is to blame for all of them. I have no problem with that; I am proud that I stand with the Serbs, that I won't call those who wanted to defend their homeland the vilest names, even though I don't agree with what they did, and I condemn the killing of an Albanian policeman. And these heroes who waited to stab their people in the back have shown their true face and returned us to 1943," Vucic said.

The President notes that there were those who were once in the Serbian Army who went to Brussels today.

"Some people took an oath for the Serbian Army and went to fabricate and lie against their own country. They denounced Serbia," he said.

Proud of Danilo, the Vucic family will always stand with the Serbs

Vucic also emphasized that he was proud of his son Danilo, who had refused to take off his "Surrender is not an option" T-shirt even when someone pointed a gun at his head. He denied the claims of Kosovo Minister of Interior Xhelal Svecla that in the video from Gracanica, which was made public, Milorad Jevtic was with his son; instead, he stated that it had been a young man with the initials B.B.

The President pointed out that the Vucic family, including himself, his son, and his brother, would always stand with the Serbs. He also mentioned that now it was essential for the parties to return to dialogue and for the Serbs to participate in elections.

On the other hand, Vucic says that Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti's sole aim when he mentions members of the Vucic family is to expel the Serbs from Kosovo and make them disappear from that territory.

"On the video, there's daddy's brave boy who didn't allow them to take off his T-shirt even when they pointed two guns at his face. They failed to take off his T-shirt, even though Svecla initially lied that they had taken it off, but it turned out they hadn't. You can't take off such T-shirts from the Vucic family," President Vucic said.

He adds that when he meets Kurti in Brussels, he cannot look him in the eye because he has only one goal - to kill and expel the Serbs, to see them on trucks and tractors.

He noted that among Albanian politicians and in their media, no one was as big of a problem from the Serbian political scene as he and his family.

"I am proud of my firstborn and my brother. We, the Vucic family, will always be with our people in Kosovo and Metohija. There is no threat that can lead me in a different direction; prison and murder are just trifles," the President of Serbia added.

When asked to comment on the statement by US Ambassador Christopher Hill that Serbia should understand that Kosovo was an independent state, Vucic emphasized that the main part of his statement had been omitted, and afterward, he said, "things are not quite that simple".

"He didn't quite say it like that. You're not interpreting correctly. There's some kind of self-destructiveness here. First, I'm pretty sure Hill loves all political actors in Serbia much more than he loves me, but let's not make things up. Hill didn't say that; he said almost the opposite, you just forgot to read what comes after the comma. Why do we always like to present someone as a bigger enemy than they are?" Vucic said.

He pointed out that Hill said he "would like Serbia to recognize Kosovo as an independent state, but things are not that simple".

He said that Hill's statements should not be interpreted solely through their own interests and to "criticize the US Ambassador".

They want the UN Security Council session on Kosovo to be closed to the public – they are afraid of what I will say

When asked how he viewed the assessments that his speeches, such as the one at the UN, exposed him to criticism, Vucic said that he had noticed that opposition meetings in embassies had increased after his speech, and he emphasized that he was not interested in what they were saying now but rather what they would say in 30 or 40 years.

"My job is to do what I can for my country. I'm not at all interested in whether I will remain in power," he said, stating that he had also spoken at the UN to make his speech a part of history.

He states that they are now requesting that the UN Security Council session on Kosovo be closed to the public, and he said this was because they could not agree with him.

"They are afraid of what I might say because I don't let others write my speeches and read them. I write my own speeches," Vucic said, and when asked if he could influence whether the session would be closed, he said that they would see what would be decided by then.

He reminds that there is a lot of work to do until then, and before his trip to New York, he has a meeting with the "big five" on October 21.

"The big five is coming to me on October 21 with new plans; I will travel to New York that same night, and then I will slowly prepare, sharpen my pen, and announce the elections," the President said, specifying that according to the law, elections need to be announced by November 2 to be held on December 17.