Vucic: Syria under Turkey’s influence, Kosovo recognition expected

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic stated today that the news of Syria’s recognition of Kosovo was expected, given that Syria is under significant influence from Turkey.

“What was expected news is Syria’s recognition. It was clear how much Bashar al-Assad’s independent approach meant while he was in power. It is now evident that when someone comes to power who is under the strong influence of one of the key countries in the region, such as Turkey, it was only to be expected,” President Vucic told reporters after participating in the General Conference of UNESCO in Samarkand.

Vucic noted that “the same pattern” could be observed now in Riyadh as it was last year in Antalya.

“They invite our Minister of Foreign Affairs and then say they have no time for a bilateral meeting—then Sudan recognized Kosovo. These are those who come from a real war zone, where no one knows who pays or who drinks. I believe that the forces that were against the recognition will prevail in that conflict. In Syria, everything was expected — they receive an order and act accordingly. It is difficult to maintain independent decision-making as it once was,” the Serbian President emphasized.

He announced that “in a few days” Serbia would have something to “make them happy.”

“I will wait so that no one can accuse me of trying to obscure certain issues or change the subject ahead of major gatherings. But within the next ten days, we will have something to make them happy. We will continue to fight to preserve Serbia within its internationally recognized borders. This is a marathon, not a 50-meter sprint. Considering whom we are competing against — the most powerful countries in the world, those who wish to take our land and territory — we are holding up well,” Vucic underlined.

He further stated that it had been extremely difficult for Serbia to defend its position, but that it succeeded through numerous diplomatic efforts.

“We have preserved the position of international law within UNESCO,” Vucic stressed, adding that it was good news that Kosovo, as a separate part of Serbia’s territory, was not represented at the conference.

He noted that, on the sidelines of the 43rd General Conference of UNESCO, which for the first time is being held outside Paris, he met with the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan, as well as with the President of Slovakia.

“With Peter Pellegrini, I discussed Serbia’s European path, as well as our bilateral relations, which I believe we can continue to strengthen,” Vucic said, announcing that the President of Slovakia would visit Serbia by the end of this year — a visit that will serve as an opportunity to further advance bilateral ties.

He also mentioned that he and Pellegrini discussed the possibility of establishing a working group that would bring together Bratislava, Budapest, and Belgrade to address common challenges.

“We talked with President Pellegrini about forming a working group with Budapest and Bratislava to determine what steps we should take on various issues, such as oil and gas, and to seek the best solutions for our countries,” Vucic explained.

During his stay in Samarkand, Vucic also met with the Director-General of UNESCO.

Serbs from Kosovo Begin March to Support Serbia and the Serbian President

Commenting on media reports that he was “copying protesters,” as a group of Serbs from Kosovo began walking toward Novi Sad to express their support, Vucic recalled that Serbs from Kosovo had also come to the rally he organized on April 12, motivated then as now by their desire to support Serbia and its president.

“Those who started from Novi Pazar include many members of Sulejman Ugljanin’s party, and I respect that, though our policies differ. I am supported by Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija; he is supported by Sulejman Ugljanin. I have no problem with that,” Vucic said.

Trump and Xi the Only Equals on the World Stage

Commenting on the meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the Serbian President said it was good news for the world that their talks concluded successfully.

“We are pleased that the conversation ended well — it is good for the world. For us, it is important that the meeting went smoothly, and we do not even need to know all the details, because we have excellent relations with China and are working to strengthen our relations with the United States,” Vucic said.

Referring to Trump’s decision to lower tariffs on China, Vucic remarked that the dialogue between Trump and Xi was “a conversation between two equals.”

“Trump cannot speak with Xi as he does with others — they are the only two equals in the world, in economic, military, political, and every other sense. I am pleased to see rational and sensible decisions being made,” Vucic added.

Positive if Lukoil Has Resolved Sanctions Issue

Regarding the announcement that Lukoil had reached an agreement with Gunvor Group to sell all its foreign assets, Vucic said it would be beneficial for Serbia if the Russian oil company had resolved issues related to U.S. sanctions through that sale.

“We would be happy if Lukoil has managed to settle the matter. Lukoil operates a significant number of retail outlets in Serbia and imports around 100,000 tons of oil derivatives. That would resolve a small part of the problem. Whether it will or not, we will see. A much larger challenge remains — the refinery and NIS. I hope we will manage to address that in the coming days,” Vucic concluded.