Vucic: It is necessary to respect the UN Charter in the case of Serbia as well

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, stated today from Dubrovnik, where he is participating in the Ukraine – Southeast Europe Summit, that the discussion at the gathering focused on respecting Ukraine's territorial integrity. However, he also pointed out the necessity of respecting the UN Charter, adding that these principles are not being upheld in the case of Serbia.

President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, stated in Dubrovnik, where he participated in the Ukraine-Southeast Europe Summit, that the summit discussed the respect for Ukraine's territorial integrity, but he also emphasized the necessity of respecting the UN Charter, adding that, in his words, these principles are not upheld in the case of Serbia.

"Sometimes it suits someone to respect that principle, and when it doesn't, they distance themselves from it. Serbia's case is the best example of this, as we still have the UN Charter and Resolution 1244 on our side, but many do not want to adhere to them," Vucic said.

He highlighted that at the summit, he conveyed that Serbia supports peace between Ukraine and Russia.

"It is important that we have expressed our desire for peace to be established. I believe that peace is necessary, and there is no such thing as bad peace," Vucic stated.

He also expressed his gratitude to Croatia for its hospitality and noted that the country's Prime Minister, Andrej Plenkovic, spoke about the 1991 aggression.

"I pointed out that Serbia sees things 100% differently from Croatia," Vucic said.

However, he emphasized that for Serbia, it is crucial to open dialogue with Croatia, despite the history.

He stressed that he understands that some people, due to their experiences, do not view this favorably, but it is important to improve and build relations in a different way.

"It is important for us to open an honest dialogue with Croatia. People from Serbia who will engage in talks in Croatia will have my full support," he concluded.

Supporting Ukraine's Territorial Integrity, No Sanctions on Russia

Vucic noted that three or four things were changed in the Summit Declaration, at Serbia’s insistence.

He mentioned that a clause where countries "commit" to align with EU measures was altered to say that countries are "encouraged" to do so.

"This is one of the changes we managed to make. Three or four things were amended, and this is one of them. Serbia respects its policy and will continue to pursue a policy of a free, independent, and sovereign country in accordance with its interests," Vucic emphasized.

He reiterated that Serbia supports Ukraine's territorial integrity, in line with the UN Charter, adding that this is not the case with many of the countries present in Dubrovnik when it comes to Serbia.

On the other hand, he stressed that Serbia will continue without imposing sanctions on Russia.

"This is the policy that Serbia follows," Vucic underlined.

He also conveyed that Serbia insisted that any type of assistance could be discussed but that military aid should not be explicitly mentioned. Additionally, Serbia's objection regarding the reference to the "occupation of Crimea" was accepted.

"The proposals from Serbia were respected and accepted," Vucic added.

No Possibility of Conflict Between Serbia and Croatia

When asked about Croatia's planned increased investments in armaments, the Serbian President said he sees no problem with it, as it is the internal matter of any sovereign country.

"I have nothing against it. That’s their business. Croatia is a sovereign country and has the right to make its own decisions, just like we do," Vucic said.

He added that everyone arms themselves according to their needs and priorities.

"I neither see this as a problem nor as a possibility for any conflict between us," the Serbian President assured.

Responding to questions from journalists, Vucic stated that Serbia does not "sit on two chairs," but has only one — the Serbian one — adding that he expects an open dialogue and discussions on the future of relations between Serbia and Croatia.

He added that he has no problem discussing topics from the past.

"As for how many chairs we have… We don’t ask you. We have only one — the Serbian chair — and we hold on to it firmly. We are not interested in a second one at all," Vucic added.

Stable Region

Vucic also touched upon the fact that the Kosovo President, Vjosa Osmani, was present at the summit.

"Vjosa Osmani was present last year in Tirana and the year before in Athens, and everyone in Europe does it this way when inviting participants. Everyone thinks it's time to give us a lesson and a lecture, I have no problem with that. What matters is what will happen in the future," Vucic said.

He explained that Serbia was under pressure to impose sanctions on Russia, but that this did not happen.

Speaking about the situation and relations in the Balkans, Vucic emphasized that the region is quite stable and will be even more stable in the future.