Vucic: Excellent meeting with Landau, further enhancement of relations agreed

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that he had an excellent meeting in New York with US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, with whom he agreed on further steps to enhance relations between the two countries.

“I had many bilateral meetings, but the most important was the meeting with Landau, which was exceptional and extremely important for Serbia. I expect us to appoint a coordinator who would work four times a year, together with US representatives, on further accelerating the development of our relations and our strategic partnership. The meeting was excellent,” Vucic told reporters following his address to the United Nations General Assembly.

He said that it had been agreed that Serbia would take certain steps and the United States would take certain steps, that the two sides would proceed simultaneously, and that the easier issues would be addressed first before moving on to the most difficult ones.

“I have been talking to everyone for 15 years, and never before have I had a conversation with the Americans at this level—a good, sincere and open conversation, without any show of force,” Vucic stressed.

He also said that he had briefly spoken with Marco Rubio the previous evening and that he was grateful to him for the statement he had made, while at the reception hosted by President Donald Trump he reiterated his invitation for Trump to visit Serbia.

“He said that he would think about it and that he had heard many good things about Serbia. I believe that we can make that visit happen next year,” the President stressed.

Vucic said that all of this provided Serbia with a sense of security and that everything he was doing was aimed at preserving peace and stability.

“I believe that we represented our country honorably, with dignity and in a responsible manner. This was a speech from my heart, for the citizens of Serbia and for a proud country of dignified people,” Vucic stressed.

He also said that many people had congratulated him on his speech, adding that four African presidents and prime ministers who had previously left the hall returned to congratulate him.

In addition, he said, an important European figure who has spent 20 years working in major institutions congratulated him on delivering the most courageous speech, adding that this is how people speak when they tell the truth.

Vucic stressed that the most important thing in today’s world was for Serbia to be sufficiently self-reliant and capable of protecting itself, which was why the country was strengthening both its economy and its military.

“We are not a country that belongs to any military or even political bloc. As a militarily neutral country, we must protect our skies and our territory. Strength also lies in alliances and good relations. We have excellent relations with China, Ukraine and Russia, and increasingly better relations with the United States. We are on the European path and we will remain on it, but that does not mean that we will renounce our friends,” the President stressed.

He expressed satisfaction with what the Serbian Armed Forces represent today, solely as a deterrent, since Serbia does not want to attack anyone.

Vucic also referred to the speeches delivered by representatives of countries in the region, saying that they had come to the United Nations solely to speak about Serbia and had thought that their remarks would go unanswered.