Vucic: I am afraid that we are not on a path that would guarantee our safety

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, pointed out this evening, after talks with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the EU Envoy for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, that the common denominator was the desire to reach de-escalation in Kosovo as soon as possible.

Vucic, in a statement to journalists, reminded that he had had a meeting with Stoltenberg, saying that it had been the most important meeting today, but the talks with Lajcak were not unimportant for Serbia either.

"I conveyed to Stoltenberg all our concern and concern for the position of the Serbs due to the arbitrary arrest, persecution of the Serbs, the desire for the Serbs to be expelled not only from the north but from all of Kosovo and Metohija. I asked NATO and KFOR to implement its mandate in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1244," he said.

Vucic said that he had submitted in writing to the Secretary General of NATO all the evidence about everything that had been done against the Serbs, about attacks on the Serbs, on ambulances, how many Serbs were shot, illegally arrested, videos showing that the Serbs who were arrested and held in custody, did nothing.

"We requested that NATO take control and ensure a safe life for the Serbs in Kosovo. It is our duty to request it from those who are responsible for it according to UN Resolution 1244. Stoltenberg listened to everything. I tried to explain what it's all about, I point out some things that are not true, and were reported in a part of the international public," he added.

Vucic said that this had been an opportunity to state the facts and request greater safety and security for the Serbs.

"Whether there will be greater progress remains to be seen. If I had to find a common denominator in the talks with Lajcak and Stoltenberg, it would be the desire to reach de-escalation as soon as possible, and that will not be easy, considering the Albanian representatives at today's meeting," he emphasized.

"I am afraid that we are not on the path that would guarantee our safety and security. I believe that our request, our request, will bear fruit, with greater attention to NATO. I am sure that they do not want the Serbs to be expelled from their centuries-old hearths," Vucic underlined.

Answering journalists' questions about the meeting, Vucic said that he had pointed out to Stoltenberg all the problems that the Serbs were facing, especially when it came to Kurti's statement about the police as the successor to the KLA.

"No one noticed that the biggest problem in Kurti's statement is not that he announces the further persecution and killing of the Serbs, which is certainly a problem, but that according to Resolution 12 44 - the KLA or anything that represents the continuity of the KLA cannot exist in Kosovo. Neither according to the UN Charter. Why does it exist then? There is no answer," Vucic stated.

He also reported that Stoltenberg had replied to him that he himself was against the transformation of the KSF into the Kosovo Army, which was true, but also that he had then asked the Secretary General of NATO - what Serbia got out of it.

"We have the arming of the KSF. Why are you doing this? What do you expect from us as a reaction? You think we are frivolous and irresponsible if we do not take the necessary measures to protect our population and central Serbia instantly," Vucic said.

He said that citizens of Serbia should not worry, because the state leadership was aware of the danger caused by someone's irresponsible behavior.

"We are ready for all surprises, completely. There are no surprises for us. Ours is to preserve the peace, and things are getting out of control because of one man. We have to preserve the peace because we have something to lose," the President of Serbia said.

He told the Serbs from Kosovo that they would be protected by - unity, struggle, and courage, Serbia, as well as international public law, which had to be respected at least to a small extent.

"The only institution that does something to preserve peace and security is KFOR," Vucic stressed and added that this was why he had requested a more significant role of KFOR in reducing tensions.

When asked if NATO could reason with Kurti, he answered that it could, but that the question was whether it wanted to.

He also said that on the way to the airport, he would call the last three freed Serbs in Kosovo, to encourage them and ask them not to leave Kosovo despite all the problems and torture they had gone through.

When asked about Gabriel Escobar's report before Congress, he noted that this report was better than the one from two months ago, but that the US could not be expected to change its position on Kosovo.

"I don't deal with fairy tales, I lead a serious and responsible policy, that's why everyone accepts me, because my word means something... and in the conversation with Lajcak, I said that it was not a problem and that we would always do everything, but the problem was that you had to tell us where we were going, how we were going to prevent further escalation, because I didn't trust Pristina at all," the President of Serbia said.

He also asked when in the past a better report on Kosovo could be heard in Congress.

"Since 1995 - never. When Serbia wasn’t the only culprit until this year? Never. You fight for it with serious work, effort, diligence, and dedication for a better position for Serbia," Vucic said.

He repeated that Serbia wanted peace, but that he was worried because he knew who he was dealing with in Pristina.

"Citizens should not worry, we are keeping the peace, we want to be constructive, and cooperation with Kfor is useful to us. Ours is to keep the peace and to keep safe the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, and we tell the Serbs to keep calm and thank them endlessly for preserving the Serbian name and surname. Serbia will always be with them," Vucic concluded.