Vucic: Movement for the People and the State important to preserve Serbia and not give in on the issue of Kosovo

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic stated tonight that the Movement for the People and the State, which he announced, was important in order to preserve the country and not to yield on the issue of Kosovo, primarily regarding Kosovo's membership in the United Nations.

Vucic said that this Movement must be what would understand, in complex geopolitical circumstances, that protecting state and national interests was vital for the country.

"Everyone who wants to will be able to join the Movement. I am only interested in Serbia - to be ready for December 1, 2026, for the Expo, to preserve the country, not to yield on the issue of Kosovo and Metohija, and above all, membership in the United Nations, because let's not fool ourselves - that is the key thing. Let's see if we can somehow preserve (the mayor of Strpce) Dalibor Jevtic, who is being pursued by Azem Kurtaj today, who shot Milos and Stefan Stojanovic on Christmas Eve and is suing Jevtic for saying that it was an attempted murder...," Vucic emphasized during his appearance on RTS.

He also stated that today he had had an important conversation with Charles Michel.

"Let's see what they (EU) offer us… whether we can get 'green lanes', which are of crucial importance for the prosperity of our companies and progress towards the EU," Vucic added.

Therefore, he said, the Movement was important because it would have a clear, unequivocal, two-thirds majority, but would understand the practical, pragmatic interests of Serbia.

"Let's fight for the country every day, to get the most we can and lose the least we must, and to push the country forward," the President of Serbina stated.

With Michel, regarding the dinar ban - a solution must be found, the Serbs live off our salaries

Vucic said that something must be resolved regarding the dinar in the coming days and added that he had discussed the ban on the dinar in Kosovo with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, who, he said, had conveyed that a solution was being sought.

"Charles Michel said that a solution was being sought regarding the abolition of the dinar and emphasized that people in Kosovo must be ensured salaries," the President of Serbia emphasized.

He pointed out that he was not waiting for a call from Brussels, but for a call for someone to go there and discuss something. He also added that Peter Stano was right when he said that they did not know what to discuss because Pristina did not want to discuss the dinar.

"But we have to give people money. Something must be resolved in the days ahead. These people live off our salaries," Vucic explained.

He said he did not believe that it was possible to return to the time before the regulation was adopted because Pristina would always have the tacit support of some whose Kosovo was a pet project.

On the observation that the Kosovo Prime Minister persistently referred to him as "Putin's little man" and Serbia as "Russia in the Balkans", Vucic said that "Kurti, as usual, lies and talks nonsense".

"This leaves an impression on those who want to pursue such politics and cannot defeat Russia, so they say - let's defeat Serbia instead. But what can I do about it..." Vucic remarked.

He conveyed that his conversation today with Charles Michel had lasted 40 minutes and had been very useful for Serbia - regarding "green lanes", the PEM Convention, the growth agenda for the Western Balkans, but also Kosovo and the Banjska case.

"And I said that it was my fault (for Banjska). Explaining to them what happened in November, December, and after that - is pointless and I am not happy about it... Would I be on the side of those guys or those who cold-bloodedly killed them afterward? I will always be on the side of the Serbs, who were persecuted like beasts... I am to blame. And they seek my guilt, so I tell them right away. I'm not pretending to be naive, so hit where it hurts. Not because I love what they did, but they (the Serbs) were driven from their ancestral homes..." Vucic said.

However, he stated that, besides that, the conversation with Michel had been good because the EU must consider strategic interests and offer something to Serbia, as it was senseless to offer something to the Western Balkans without Serbia.

"This is a good chance for us, for something realistic. Will we join the European Union tomorrow, or in three, or four years? We won't unless a miracle happens. But we can get 'green lanes', the PEM Convention, to be part of the single European market. And that will bring a significantly better standard of living for all our people," President Vucic pointed out.

Therefore, he says, he is satisfied with the conversation with Michel, even though it was not easy.

When asked if Michel had been interested in whether those responsible for Banjska would be prosecuted, he responded that they didn't ask in that manner.

He emphasized that the state authorities of Serbia were doing their job and would bring charges for certain criminal offenses.

"Maybe for causing general danger because how can they bring charges for something else, since they will appear before the court and say they were doing their job, since according to UN Resolution 1244, there should be 1,000 Serbian soldiers in Kosovo. Or we will accept that Kosovo is independent, then we can prosecute them. They are formally a part of life in Kosovo and Metohija. They were persecuted like beasts, and they were promised that they wouldn't be prosecuted," he pointed out.

Regarding the Franco-German plan, he recalled that he had told Scholz, Macron, Meloni, Michel, Borrell, and Lajcak in Brussels that Serbia would fulfill everything but could not do what contradicted its Constitution, such as Kosovo's territorial integrity, membership in the UN, or agencies and institutions of world organizations.

"We started fulfilling a part of that, while Pristina hasn't done anything. Not from this or any other paper," Vucic emphasized.

He said that all the debates taking place in Serbia and the desire for someone to challenge him were harming Serbia and giving Kurti ammunition.

Starting Monday consultations on the new government

Vucic also announced that consultations on forming a new government in accordance with the Constitution and the obligations of the president of the state would begin on Monday.

"Starting from Monday, I will begin consultations with those who want to talk and respect the Constitution. I will conduct necessary consultations with everyone who wants, and after that, I will be ready to designate the prime minister. We have entered into important processes, decisive for the formation of the new Assembly and the new government, now that the mandates in parliament have been verified. I am convinced that we can do the job relatively quickly and efficiently," the president emphasized.

Asked about criticisms of the voter rolls in Belgrade, he said such assessments were meaningless.

"The voter roll is something that is accessible to everyone. Anyone can check whether they are registered or not, and political parties and organizations can do so as well. But the voter roll is always an excuse for those who do not want to know or pretend not to know. As for reducing tensions in society, there won't be any as long as there are media outlets that base their programs and activities on hatred towards political opponents," Vucic explained.

He said he was ready to discuss key issues, but key issues could not be "we want power without elections".

"We have many important issues ahead of us, difficult challenges, but also many good things. I am sure that we will have a secure majority that will lead the Serbian ship safely to a prosperous port. It would be good for as many people as possible to join," he emphasized.