Vucic: Serbia was attacked in violation of the UN Charter, 14 percent of its territory was taken

President Aleksandar Vucic stated that Serbia would continue to strengthen its military capabilities in order, as he said, to protect its territory and deter potential threats, rather than threaten others, RTS reports.

Asked to comment on Croatian President Zoran Milanovic's remarks regarding Serbia's military buildup, Vucic said that claims about Serbia "disrupting the balance with NATO" were unfounded given the alliance's overwhelming military superiority, stressing that Serbia's sole objective was to protect its own territory.

"We are simply masters of our own house, a free nation that cherishes its freedom and wants to safeguard its skies and its land," Vucic said.

He noted that Serbia was in a unique security environment, being entirely surrounded by European Union and NATO member states, while also recalling the issue of Kosovo.

"Do not forget that this country was attacked in violation of the Charter of the United Nations, in violation of United Nations resolutions, and without a decision of the United Nations Security Council—for the first time in history. Fourteen percent of this country's territory was taken away, or they are still trying to take away 14 percent of its territory, by the very same people who now accuse us of disrupting the balance. What are we supposed to do—wait for another act of aggression so that another 14 percent of our territory can be taken, or even more, simply because they can?" Vucic asked.

He also criticized the military cooperation between Zagreb, Tirana, and Pristina, launched at Croatia's initiative, describing it as security pressure on Serbia.

Vucic further said that the chances of Serbia opening Cluster 3 in July were slim, adding that the key condition for doing so was the introduction of sanctions against Russia and Belarus. He said that if Cluster 3 were not opened, it would demonstrate that the European integration process was not merit-based, while also noting that there were people in Serbia who would do everything against their own country.

"We will wait a few more days to see whether they will open Cluster 3 or not. I do not think the chances are very high. We still hope they will, but I do not believe the chances are great," Vucic said on TV Pink.
He added that, personally, this was not the most important issue for him, but stressed that Serbia had done everything necessary to be fully prepared for the opening of the cluster.

Vucic said he had tremendous personal confidence in Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa, as well as in their approach toward Serbia.

"As for certain member states, I will not comment. Everyone knows the positions of the Croats, the Bulgarians, and others. What matters is that the French, Germans, Italians, Spaniards, and many, many others are our friends—from the Greeks to the Portuguese, Hungarians, Romanians, and Poles—and they are unequivocally and firmly in favor of opening Cluster 3 and advancing Serbia's accession process," Vucic added, according to RTS.

He emphasized that there were far more countries supporting the opening of the cluster for Serbia than those opposing it.

"The key condition has always been sanctions against Russia," Vucic said, adding that this was the only issue.

"That is the only condition—sanctions against Russia and Belarus. We have not even imposed three-quarters of the sanctions on Belarus. We did not want to impose sanctions on the Belarusian leadership," the president added.

Asked whether Serbia would join the European Union if it imposed sanctions on Russia and Belarus, Vucic replied that it would not, because the issue of Kosovo would then be raised.

"There would always be something else," Vucic said.