Serbian Ambassador in Ljubljana Interviewed over Vucic’s Statement

Aleksandar Vucic (BetaPhoto/Milos Miskov)

Serbia’s ambassador in Ljubljana was called in for an interview by Slovenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs after President Aleksandar Vucic stated that Slovenia and the other countries which recognized Kosovo’s unilaterally declared independence have thereby undermined Serbia’s territorial integrity.

The Slovenian Foreign Ministry told their local N1 that Ambassador Zorana Vlatkovic was questioned after Vucic made the statement to a press conference during Slovenian President Borut Pahor’s recent visit to Belgrade, adding that Slovenia’s ambassador in Belgrade, Damjan Bergant, also tackled this issue.

The controversy arose during a press conference following a meeting between Vucic and Pahor, when a journalist asked the Serbian president why Serbia has not yet introduced sanctions on Russia. “How do I explain introducing sanctions on Russia to the Serbian public when I haven’t introduced sanctions on Slovenia?” Vucic responded.

“Russia has not undermined Serbia’s territorial integrity, while Slovenia has. And, as you can see, we still have good relations with Slovenia,” Vucic explained, adding that when Slovenia joined the ranks of countries like France, Germany and the U.S. in recognizing Kosovo, it – in Serbia’s view – violated international law, U.N. charters and U.N. Security Council Resolution 1244.

Slovenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed its shock over Vucic’s words but said that it expected the current dynamic of cooperation with Serbia to continue and underlined Slovenia’s further commitment to communication with Serbia and mutual respect on all levels.

“We want [our] countries to continue developing friendly ties and jointly seeking options for solving the Western Balkan’s unresolved issues, leading to decreased tensions in the region. This would enable both Serbia and Kosovo to continue advancing toward the EU,” the Ministry’s statement concluded.