Vucic: I believe Kenya will not recognize Kosovo's independence

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said today that he had spoken again in Beijing with William Ruto, the President of Kenya, and that he believed that the country would not recognize Kosovo's independence.

As the Serbian president noted, he discussed Kosovo with Ruto because there were announcements from Pristina that Kenya was on the verge of recognizing Kosovo's independence.

"You can never guarantee for others, but I believe that Kenya will respect Serbia's territorial integrity and the UN charter," Vucic said.

As he stated, he had many bilateral meetings today with the Prime Minister of Thailand, the Prime Minister of Laos, and also had a long conversation with the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, as well as with the Prime Minister of Indonesia again.

He mentioned that he had discussed European issues with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and met with the Chinese Deputy Prime Minister and the Prime Minister and leader of Turkmenistan.

He pointed out that every call for a visit, whether initiated or received, would be significant for deepening bilateral cooperation.

Vucic noted that Kurti did not want to form the Community of Serb Municipalities, emphasizing that this was an international legal obligation that Pristina had undertaken.

"He clearly and publicly states that he does not want and will not form something that is an international legal obligation of Pristina," Vucic said in response to a question about the statement by Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti that "forming the CSM would be a fatal blow to the Kosovo Constitution."

Commenting on Kurti's statement that he is to blame for insisting on the CSM, Vucic said that he was used to always being blamed for everything but admitted to this.

"He is right; I am guilty because I insist on this because I insist on implementing internationally and legally assumed obligations. I am guilty of this, I admit," the President of Serbia said in Beijing.

Vucic said that the leadership of Serbia must continue to move the country forward and maintain peace and stability, regardless of all circumstances.

According to him, it is of utmost importance to realize ongoing projects and improve friendships with traditional partners.

"There were those who were preventing us from building Belgrade Waterfront, building bridges, railways, and roads, but you have to push the country forward, and that is what we will strive for," Vucic said.

He stressed that the current priority for Serbia is to maintain peace amid "general global hysteria." He assessed that everyone in the world was "rushing and raising the stakes to the highest level" and that there was no turning back.

"If you want to go to war, you have to know that the price is too high. I hope this won't continue because not stopping conflicts in Gaza leads to wider world and regional conflicts," Vucic warned.

He expressed confidence that all of this could be avoided and reiterated that Serbia's focus should be on projects such as Expo, building schools and hospitals, and new sources of growth and development.

"Our goal is to look to the future," President Vucic said.

Commenting on Milo Djukanovic's statement regarding the census in Montenegro, where he said there was "Serbianization of Montenegro," Vucic said that either Montenegro was not quite the most democratic country in the region, as they claimed, or there were "shady dealings" from the past that Djukanovic feared.

"Either they don't live in a state that is as democratic as they claim, with the most modern census procedures and the highest standards, or Djukanovic knows that he had been reducing the number of Serbs. It is more likely that he knows something from the past or that people are afraid to declare themselves. We don't know what will happen, we believe that there are a lot of our compatriots, but we will wait for people to declare," Vucic said.

Commenting on Djukanovic's accusation that he wants to create a "Greater Serbia," Vucic said that it was not uncommon for Djukanovic to speak nonsense.

"But, it worked at some point. That statement means they know what kind of tricks they pulled off in the past," the President of Serbia said.