Vucic spoke about the threats to Serbia in case of refusal to dialogue with Pristina

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, in a special address to the nation on the evening of January 23, made it clear that he would negotiate with the “big five” EU countries, led by France and Germany, about their proposed plan for resolving the situation in Kosovo. He said that Serbia is facing a choice: to be under EU sanctions and under the threat of investment withdrawal, while remembering the 1999 Belgrade bombings, or to negotiate with the leadership of Kosovo and pave the country’s “only possible” path – to the European Union. He never revealed the details.

This speech by Vučić was preceded by two events: a closed meeting with the Serbian government on the same day and a meeting last week with the leadership of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (PPP), which he leads (SNA). According to the Serbian media, Vučić conducted consultations with fellow party members emotionally. In particular, he allegedly announced his readiness to resign from the post of leader SNA and even from the presidency, if his decisions on consultations with the “five” are not supported. Vucic was ready to leave the leadership to those who “can negotiate better” and believe that it is necessary to “destroy the country economically.” Following this, several regional branches at once SNA and deputies of the Assembly announced the full support of Vučić, without whose leadership the country would almost collapse.

The meeting with the government for the public was described much more dryly – following its results, the Serbian authorities reported that Vucic “informed the Cabinet” about the results of negotiations with the “five”.

Speaking to the media, the president, in fact, made it clear that Serbia had no other choice but to enter into negotiations on a plan for resolving the Kosovo crisis, developed by France and Germany. He said that “whatever they call it,” the European Union “is in a state of war.” “And they want their backyard, and the Western Balkans, and, of course, Serbia is their backyard, to be as they want,” Vučić said. According to the president, he heard three times from EU negotiators that if Serbia refuses to dialogue with Pristina, Serbia will face economic sanctions.

Vučić further described what price the question was about. According to him, Serbia’s trade turnover with Germany alone is more than 8 billion euros in 2022. “Taxes are paid from this money, and pensions are paid from them,” the president stressed. He said European companies could simply leave the country with their investments. Vucic urged not to take into account the arguments that European business would not want to lose profits from Serbia and recalled the Russian experience, from which, according to him, after the start of the military special operation, “within 15 days”, most European companies left.

In addition, Vucic announced the threat of interrupting the process of European integration and “comprehensive measures in the political and economic sense.”

In connection with the choice facing Belgrade, the President even remembered former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, who led the country until 2002 and died under an international court in The Hague. Which, according to him, “until the last moment did not believe” that “bombs would fall” on Serbia. During his speech, Vučić stressed several times that “the only way” to develop the economy and modernize Serbia is European integration, which is impossible without a solution to the Kosovo problem: “Without the European path, we would be lost economically and politically. And if we were without him [этого пути]I would not agree to lead the country.

At the same time, Vučić said that the position of the “five” is far from fair in relation to Serbia: “In their opinion, we are always wrong. And the opposite side can do whatever they want, and will be encouraged for it. Vučić accused Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti of “deliberately causing” provocations in the region in recent months, and “we have had ten incidents this year alone.”

Kosovo has been really restless since autumn. Several times, Serbian troops and “special forces” of the partially recognized republic were drawn to the north of the region, where mainly Serbs live, in order to prevent clashes between local residents. In particular, the Kosovo authorities refused to recognize Serbian license plates and official documents, and local Serbs responded by building barricades on the streets. Each time the tension was removed after the intervention of the EU representatives. And on the day of the president’s speech, there was another shooting in the region, as a result of which at least one Serb was injured.

Vučić did not disclose almost any details of the settlement plan proposed by the Five, but assured that he “knows what is unacceptable for Serbia” and “did not sign anything”: “The documents do not even have my initials.” At the same time, the Serbian President stressed that he would continue to seek broad rights for the community of Serbian communities in Kosovo and the possibility of control over them and funding of their civil projects – from schooling to science, from the Serbian authorities.

Personally, Vučić is not going to make the final decision alone. “I know what I will do on my own behalf, and not on behalf of Serbia. Other competent authorities and, possibly, citizens will decide on behalf of Serbia,” he said. Local politicians have already considered this a hint either of the possibility of holding a referendum on the “Kosovo issue” in the country, or of early presidential elections in the country if Vučić fulfills his unofficial promise to the party members.

Opposition leaders to Vučić have sharply criticized the decision to negotiate the P5 plan. “Everyone who has even the slightest national pride and responsibility towards Serbia, who understands the consequences of a possible abandonment of a firm position on the need to keep Kosovo in Serbia, listened to the statement of the President of the Republic with distrust,” an assembly deputy from the New Democratic parts of Milos Jovanovic. And the leader of the right-wing Dveri party, Bosko Obradovic, even called for pressure on the authorities to reject the “EU ultimatum”, including with the help of street protests.

Former Serbian Foreign Minister and one of the organizers of the overthrow of Milosevic, Vuk Draskovic, supported the adoption of the plan: “Any other scenario would be unfavorable for Serbia and the Serbs in Kosovo. Let’s remember the tragic experience and the consequences of all the plans that we did not accept during the breakup of Yugoslavia.”

President Vucic promised that “in the coming days” he would invite “all interested representatives of parliamentary groups” so that they could learn about his future plans.