20.07.2019.
President Vučić: Haradinaj's resignation is a political trick
President of the Republic of Serbia and Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces Aleksandar Vučić has addressed the public today in the aftermath of the latest events in Pristina and Ramush Haradinaj’s resignation as prime minister of the so-called “Kosovo”.
Minister of defence Aleksandar Vulin also attended the press conference at the presidential palace.
President Vučić emphasised there there are no reasons for joy and that Serbia has to react to it with calm and composedly.
- We are considering all the facts and consequences that will come after that, especially how the Albanians and the international community will relate towards the Serbian people and the Republic of Serbia. First of all, the position of Serbs and their everyday life will become even more difficult, because there is a further homogenisation of Albanians, further extremisation of their standpoints and even stronger unhidden resentment towards the Serbian people in the Serbian state which they see as the only culprit for all their strains, and for what is happening to Haradinaj, the Serbian president said.As a result, the Republic of Serbia will devote even more attention to the perseverance and life and safety of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija.
- Our people in Kosovo and Metohija can count on their state, their own Serbia. Serbia believes that continuation of the dialogue remains vital for the preservation of peace and stability. This is not a common phrase repeated by politicians around the world, but the fact and the essence of everything. We are afraid that the political developments in Kosovo and Metohija go in the direction of further delay in the dialogue and talks between Belgrade and Priština, President Vučić said.
According to him, Haradinaj's resignation is “a political trick he is using to gain even greater popularity” which will lead to more extreme attitudes of Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija. The political situation in Priština and Tirana will, according to the president, aim for further approximation, unification and continuation of the tragic story of 'Greater Albania'.
President Vučić emphasised the importance of the fact that everyone should know that the court to which Ramush was summoned "is not the court in The Hague that first occurs to everyone", but the headquarters of the specialist chambers and a separate Specialist Prosecutor's Office on the basis of an agreement between the government of the so-called ‘Kosovo' and the Government of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.The President of the Republic also talked about the anticipation of the events in the coming days – that Haradinaj will go to the Hague next week, but that he will be immediately released, after 48 hours, and that he will return as a great hero of the Albanian population in Kosovo and Metohija while his popularity will double.
- By that he seeks a convincing victory of the hardest Albanian option in the elections and to achieve the main objective to constitute a majority without the Serbian List. Also, representatives of our people will be used to deal with the Serbian List, the president of the Republic pointed out.
At the same time, he added, during their electoral activities, the taxes that generated the dreadful situation in our relations will certainly not be abolished in that equilibrium.
- Their plan and idea is to wait for the elections, for Ramush Haradinaj and his political party to come out even stronger, with an idea of the international community, and for Shpend Ahmeti, as one of his partners, to carry on such a policy, President Vučić pointed out, adding that there is not a lot of room for the Serbs and for dialogue with Belgrade here.
According to the Serbian president, if they start and end the elections, the government can be expected to be constituted only in November, adding that it is clear there is no dialogue there, and unless someone in the international community acts a bit more responsibly and exerts pressure on Priština, there will be no substantial changes or the abolishment of taxes.
- The point is that fierce pressure on Serbia will increase where some sort of measure for pressure will be required – we will pressure you now as much as we pressured them. And then they will say – now you, the Serbs and Serbia need to give in twice more now than what you intended to give in before, because that is the only way we can reach a compromise, President Vučić pointed out, adding that this is what we are to face, undoubtedly.
President Vučić emphasised that, in the forthcoming period, the Republic of Serbia will insist even more on continuation of the dialogue, the abolishment of taxes and more than ever, concrete things will be done, coming forward with proposals in the forthcoming period.- I will have talks with several Western Balkans leaders about this idea regarding the unification of the Balkan region in that sense; this is our only chance of survival, the only chance that we can make economic progress, and it seems that many Balkan countries have to understand and I am convinced that many Western Balkans leaders today do understand this – President Vučić emphasised.
He also said that we are those who have to solve the problems by ourselves, to talk to the Albanians and no one else will be able to do it, as everyone else will look for their role.
- We need to solve our problems and we need to be stronger and more powerful and only when we are stronger and more powerful will we be able to raise our demands and ask for more and expect to get more from the European Union – President Vučić assessed.
According to him, it is not our job to protect the interests of the great powers but the interests of our people and to fight for the preservation of peace and stability.
- We will monitor the situation in Priština, and what is most important to us, we will not interfere in their internal political scene in any way, because I do not have the kind of desire Albanian politicians have – for me to be dismissed, but we will keep helping our people. This is the most important thing for us, that our people are safe, secure and able to survive at their hearths. This is the job of Serbia and Serbia will do it – President Vučić stressed, adding that he expects that in the forthcoming months, additional weight and pressure will be added to the Republic of Serbia from all aspects and from all angles.
Responding to a journalist's question that the State Department had hailed Haradinaj's immediate response to the summon from Hague court, President Vučić wondered if they had congratulated so to General Lazarević when he voluntarily went to The Hague. President Vučić also recalled that General Diković was banned from entering the United States although that there was no indictment raised against him, but only the writings of some weekly newspapers in Serbia, who put a hit out on General Diković so the United States denied him an entry visa.
- Then I made a decision and forbade all officers to enter the United States and said that they have no right to deny entry visa to the Chief of General Staff of our Armed Forces while inviting our other officers. What does it mean, that if you are not obedient and if we do not like you and if we have some suspicions, you are not good for us. But then we will recruit these others and see how and what we can do – President Vučić said.
PHOTOGALLERY
VIDEOGALLERY
mp4 