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Vucic denies that he has close relations with Putin

2024-08-31 20:13:00, Kosova & Bota CNA
Vucic denies that he has close relations with Putin
The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vu?i?, at the Globsec conference in Prague, Czech Republic.

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vu?i?, has denied that he has close relations with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin. He also rejected the idea that his country's candidacy for membership in the European Union was a "Trojan horse" for Moscow, despite the fact that his country has refused to join European sanctions due to the Russian occupation of Ukraine, but also due to other differences with the block.

Speaking at the Globsec conference in Prague on August 31, Vucic said he has not met or spoken to Putin in at least two and a half years, since Russian troops launched their invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

"We are on the way to the EU. Yes, we traditionally have good relations - we are not hiding them and I am not ashamed of this - with Russia, it has always been like this between Serbs and Russians".

He said that while he recently had a "good" conversation with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who is also staying in Prague this week, "nobody in Europe agrees with me on this issue, but everyone in Europe understands my position".

He added that he thinks that Serbia is implementing its growth and reform agenda "better than anyone else".

Serbia and Turkey are the only EU candidate countries that have not imposed sanctions on Russia.

Serbian officials, especially Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin, have maintained close relations with Moscow since the start of the invasion of Ukraine.

Vucic called on European partners to show more confidence in Serbia's intention to join the European bloc.

He said that the process depends not on Serbia's relations with Russia, but on the normalization of relations with Kosovo.

"Yes, we are on the European path and the biggest problem for Serbia... is our relationship with Pristina", Vucic said, adding that this issue is difficult for his country.

Kosovo and Serbia have been holding dialogue for the normalization of relations since 2011, under the mediation of the European Union.

"The goal is to create mutual trust between Serbia and the EU, and not to see Serbia as a "Trojan horse" for Russia," said Vu?i?./REL





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