Vucic: Serbia doesn't plan to go to war, but does want to preserve its Constitution and national interests

Photo: Tanjug/Tanjug Video

President Aleksandar Vucic says Serbia does not want and does not plan to go to war, but does want to preserve the Constitution, vital national and state interests, while respecting (Kosovo) Albanians, and discussing and solving problems through dialogue.

Recommended

"I am afraid that we did not have dialogue, precisely because one side, which is not the Serbian one, did not want that dialogue," Vucic said in Geneva, answering an Albanian journalist's question who wanted to know whether he is optimistic about the (Belgrade-Pristina) dialogue, and the possible meeting with the prime minister of the provisional of Pristina institutions, Albin Kurti.

In response to the journalist alleging that "war is being talked about in Belgrade and Pristina," Vucic stressed that in Belgrade there is no talk of war but of the development of Serbia.

"People who want to go to war don't think about how to change their habits, how to work and learn more and how to make universities and colleges different and better. We don't like to be at war. And we don't plan to go to war," said Vucic.

He said that he expects that circumstances will change in the future and that "someone will understand that everyone can benefit from dialogue and compromise solutions."

"And to solve things by threats of ethnically cleansing Serbs, primarily from the north of Kosovo and Metohija, is not a serious policy and it will not bring good results," Vucic said.

When asked about the protests staged by ethnic Albanians in Presevo because of alleged discrimination, Vucic said that the government of Serbia listens carefully to people in Presevo and Bujanovac and all their objections and announced that he plans to visit those places soon.

"I think that these are more demonstrations related to the loss of power of the pro-Kurti forces in Bujanovac in particular. And they don't like the Albanians who are in power, admittedly, together with the Serbs in Bujanovac. So, that is a democratic issue, but we do not have a problem.

With us, unlike the situation in Pristina, demonstrations are allowed and to us it is normal for someone to demonstrate and we have no problem when Albanians demonstrate. We listen carefully to all their remarks and I think it's most important to bring a big investor, especially to Bujanovac, but also to Presevo," said Vucic.

The president added that he had visited Presevo to open a maternity hospital, but also that he had visited Bujanovac on several occasions where he contributed to roads being built in both Serbian and Albanian villages.

Vucic announced that the restoration of a school in one of the ethnic Albanian villages is expected soon.

"Soon we will rebuild a school and we will invest a lot of money in one of the Albanian villages. We will continue to invest money, to help the people who live down there and to continue life together," said Vucic.

(Telegraf.rs/Tanjug)