Vucic: Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija face many hardships, but the state of Serbia will help them

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, said today, regarding the takeover of railway stations in Zvezan and Leposavic by the Pristina institutions, that Serbs in Kosovo face many hardships, but that the state of Serbia will help them, stressing that he does not believe in a reaction from the international community which, if it had sincerely wanted to, would have forced Pristina to form the Community of Serb Municipalities by now.

“Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija face many hardships, as they did after the elections. That is why we are trying to help as much as we can in such conditions, which is not much, but the solution is not to leave one’s homes,” Vucic said in response to journalists’ questions at the end of his visit to China.

He said he does not believe that the West, especially Europe, will take any action.

“If they had wanted to have a different approach, they would not have appointed those they appointed as rapporteurs, to make decisions about them. If they had wanted to, they would have forced them to form the CSM and we would not have these problems. They did not want that, but rather the creation of tensions and the persecution of the Serb people. They enjoy it,” the President of Serbia stated.

He noted that Serbia, if the situation were reversed, would have been bombed long ago, given that it was bombed even for far less.

“But that is something we have to carry as a burden on our backs and wait for a favorable moment in international relations when the Brussels Agreement can be implemented and the UN Charter respected,” Vucic said.

Summing up his stay in China, he said that today, on the last day of his visit, he spoke with representatives of eight Chinese companies, as well as with the leadership of the city of Shanghai, and that he believes that very soon, already during June, there will be good news for Sid or Zrenjanin, and possibly for both cities.

“I believe we will also have other good news,” Vucic added.

He also stated that Serbia’s economy grew by four percent in April.

“A growth of four percent, compared to 3 or 3.1 percent in the first quarter, is good news. We are on a good path to have growth higher than the IMF forecast,” Vucic said, adding that he is proud of everything the delegation accomplished in China.

When asked about talks regarding cooperation with China in the defense industry, he said he was very satisfied in that regard.

“I have been in that system for a long time, since 2012, and I know what I can say and what I cannot. But I can proudly say that the Serbian Armed Forces are growing and will modernize even faster. Our army is making quantum leaps. We already have something, we are receiving something, and we will be acquiring more. Details about what is coming will be announced by some other countries in the coming days, because they are obliged to publish it, while we are not. Our army will be strong enough to protect us from anyone and to be a strong deterrent factor,” Vucic said.

Regarding claims by Russia’s OSCE representative Dmitry Polyanskiy that Russia has informed member states that Moscow and the West are very close to a direct military conflict, he expressed hope that this will not happen because it would mean an extremely difficult situation for everyone.

“I hope it will not come to that, but I am afraid that it will, not now, but in the future. And that would be a terrible situation for us and for the entire continent, with no hope of getting out of the crisis for a long time,” the President of Serbia warned.