Vucic: The most important part of the agreement - the CSM has not been implemented for 10 years; there is no hope that it will happen

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic pointed out tonight that the most important part of the Brussels Agreement - the formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities - has not been implemented for more than 10 years, adding that there is currently no hope that this will happen. He said that Serbia would do its best to preserve peace, but that on the other side there was a huge degree of irresponsibility.

At a joint press conference with the Prime Ministers of the Netherlands and Luxembourg, Vucic emphasized that the Brussels Agreement, which was signed more than 10 years ago, is still in force.

"The most important part, the formation of the CSM, has not yet been implemented, and that is a prerequisite for everything else to be fulfilled by Serbia, and at this stage there is not even a hope that we will see the formation of the CSM. At the same time, it is easy to mention that pressure is being exerted, to impose sanctions, we are used to it, we had sanctions in the nineties, Serbia was brutally attacked by NATO, which was not done in accordance with the UN Security Council, you interpret it differently," said Vucic, answering a question from a journalist from the Netherlands.

He adds that the pressures are something we are used to and adds that he believes that everything should be talked about and that is why he is grateful to Rutte and Bettel for talking to him and wanting to help.

He also pointed out that the CSM is in not only the north, four municipalities, but also six municipalities in the south, but this has not been fulfilled.

"I hope that we will manage to preserve the peace", said Vucic and added that as far as the de-escalation measures are concerned, one must be implemented simultaneously, simultaneously and it is being awaited, while Serbia has implemented the other two measures.

He adds that Serbia is being a credible and responsible partner.

Serbia will do its best for peace, but the other party shows a huge degree of irresponsibility

The President of Serbia said that he promised the interlocutors that Serbia would do everything possible to preserve peace and stability, but added that he was worried, because he had never seen such a degree of irresponsibility on the other side.

Vucic said that he was glad that they were completely honest, adding that he was sorry that the Prime Minister of Belgium, Alexander de Croix, did not come with them, who canceled his visit due to the events in his country.

"It is important that citizens know that there is no such thing as an easy topic. We talked about Kosovo and Metohija, about regional issues. You saw from the words of Rutte and Bettel how different our views on Kosovo and Metohija are. I am not missing details. About not only their recognition of Kosovo, but also the story of attacks on journalists in Kosovo, and that no one talks about the shooting of Serbs.... There were seven shootings against Serbs this year, and none of the journalists experienced a serious bodily injury. And the reason for their arrival in Zvecan was the intrusion into the premises of the Municipality by those who have nothing to look for there, because they received only one percent of the votes of the voters," explained Vucic.

And by that, he adds, you can see how difficult Serbia's position is.

"They want to see stability, better relations, why they would be interested in everything that is happening, why they would know every detail," stated Vucic.

He reported that they also discussed problems within the visa regime, the visa policy of Serbia.

Serbia, he emphasized, had done some things in the previous period, and fulfilled everything it had promised since the last meeting in Tirana.

"I believe that we can still do a lot. We said that we are open to discussing everything regarding the rule of law, we know what our job is that we have to fulfill within the implementation of the media strategy, the rights of all people who are different from members of national minorities, to people of a different sexual orientation. NGO representatives are full of criticism towards the Serbian government, especially me. They said that the rights of LGBT people are not respected in our country, that the appointment of Ana Brnabic to the position of prime minister is just an excuse and an excuse for not doing anything. That the rights must be greater," he said.

He said that the biggest problem is that 300 days a year he is doing something and speaks to the public, instead of doing nothing for 365 days and tweeting twice a day.

He reminded that Serbia's trade with the Benelux exceeded the level of two billion Euros, and that countries from that region are among the most important investors in Serbia.

He pointed to Delhaize, a significant player in trade in Serbia, and added that there are still a large number of investors from Benelux interested in investing in Serbia.

Vucic thanked for investments, support on Serbia's European path, and expressed his belief that in the next period he would be able to come up with more optimistic and cheerful news for Serbia.

On the riots in France and the lack of EU reaction: Double standards are not from yesterday

When asked whether the situation in France was discussed in the talks today, and how he sees the EU's lack of reaction on this issue, which was quite harsh in the case of protests in Serbia during the Covid-19 pandemic, Vucic said that double standards were not something new, and that Serbia was used to it.

"I support the French state and the president; I always support the law enforcement agencies. If someone is going to tell me that it is nice or democratic to burn buildings and cars... That is neither nice, nor democratic, nor smart or useful. I wish France all the best and I believe that it will manage to deal with it," Vucic said.