Vucic: The stances of France, the US, and others are firm regarding the Ibar Bridge

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, when asked ahead of French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Belgrade whether he expects the situation regarding the bridge on the Ibar in Kosovska Mitrovica to change, emphasized that the positions of France and the USA, as well as those of others, are firm on the matter of the bridge on the Ibar.

"But what is important for us is to discuss very important issues with Macron. Look at how the visit is organized. You will visit 'Schneider,' which means an invitation to cooperate in the areas of innovation, science, technology, artificial intelligence, and the arrival of new French investors. Visiting what's important at the airport, final works, because our airport is becoming the largest air hub in this part of Europe. At the same time, it's an indicator of how French companies will work on the metro, where we are already carrying out serious work and what we need to do next through their companies related to environmental protection, from 'Suez' to 'Veolia,' which have large projects and will have even more," Vucic said to RTS.

He emphasized that he will discuss very important issues with Macron, including ongoing talks about the purchase of "Rafale" aircraft, where the price is no longer an issue but certain guarantees are.

"A sleepless night is ahead of us, and it's not over yet. This would be a big deal for us because it would mean a significant advancement in the combat readiness and military power of Serbia, the security of our country. We do not provoke problems anywhere, nor do we plan to, nor intend to. This is a huge signal of trust between France and Serbia. We just want to protect our country, but with this, Serbia would be much, much, much stronger. There is one more thing we haven't agreed on. It's no longer about the price; it's about certain guarantees. If we manage to resolve that, it will be fine, but we have been struggling with this for four days now," Vucic said.

After Macron's visit, Vucic will travel to Prague, where he announced he will meet with the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, as well as the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, Miroslav Lajcak, Vladimir Bilcik, and, as he added, everyone who decides on regional issues in various ways.

He stressed that the focus of these talks will be on Serbia.

"I am only concerned with Serbia and Serbia's progress; I leave the rest to them, as they know better. All this about Russia, Ukraine, the Middle East—let them deal with it. My job is to deal with Serbia and the people in Serbia," Vucic stated.