Vucic: If the EU puts Kosovo's UN membership in the Chapter 35, it is clear that they do not want us

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic stated tonight that if the European Union included Kosovo's UN membership as a condition within Chapter 35 in the negotiations, it clearly meant that the EU did not want Serbia.

Commenting on reports that the European Council could propose to the Commission to include the implementation of the Ohrid Agreement in Chapter 35, Vucic told RTS that he did not think it was possible, as it would de facto close the doors of the Union to Serbia.

He reiterated that he had repeatedly told European leaders what Serbia could fulfill and what was impossible.

"If you put Kosovo's UN membership as a part of Chapter 35, then it is clear that you do not want Serbia. I do not believe that it is possible, and I think such a decision will not be made", the President of Serbia is convinced.

Regarding other matters from Brussels and assessments that Serbia is ready to open an entire cluster, Vucic said that he knew this was the case.

"I know that we are ready, both economically and energetically. We are prepared not only to open but also to close the cluster after a short period, but they said it depends on talks with Pristina", Vucic noted.

He repeats that it is important for Serbia to be on the European path, but also for the citizens to see that the country is doing well.

With Meloni and Italy's involvement in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue

Speaking about the upcoming visit of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to Serbia, Vucic stated that he expected to discuss Kosovo, given that Meloni had announced that Italy would actively participate in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue.

He added that there would be discussions about bilateral cooperation and economic relations between the two countries.

"Italy is one of our most significant partners. I expect a warm and good conversation. Thank you Giorgia Meloni for coming to Serbia directly from Dubai. This is good news for our country and shows how Serbia is positioned and respected in all parts of the world", Vucic said.

He also announced that around December 10, the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Bulgaria would visit Serbia, whom he would host in bilateral meetings, emphasizing the importance of energy stability and relations with Bulgarian partners.

How to fight climate change when more money is spent on armaments

President of Serbia, during his visit to the United Arab Emirates, also met with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, whom he described as a sincere friend of Serbia.

"Sheikh is a great friend. When you know that he had a meeting with Macron before me, with the President of Indonesia, and Erdogan, and after me with Scholz, it means that we found ourselves in the company of the world's most important figures. Sheikh has a sincere friendly relationship with our country", Vucic said, who participated in the Global Summit on Climate Change "COP28" in the UAE.

He pointed out that climate change was a significant problem for the entire world, and its consequences were catastrophic for humanity.

In his address to the Summit, he wanted to highlight other issues:

"How can we expect the agreements from Paris, Glasgow to be fulfilled if three times more money has been spent on weapons and ammunition than on combating climate change? There is no agreement on the rules and principles that the world adheres to. It is unclear which principles we respect, the UN Charter is not respected, and then it's challenging to have much optimism", Vucic said, adding that he had seen many conflicting interests of major powers.

He stated that today, at the summit, the most talked-about topics were Israel, Palestine, Ukraine, Russia, China, Taiwan...

"We must quintuple renewable energy sources as soon as possible. Is this more important to us? Everything is essential, but I have posed a question that is not just a matter of principle but a fundamental one – which principles, agreements, and rules do we adhere to in the world? Which rules apply to everyone, not just the great powers?" Vucic said.