Vucic: Germany Waging Brutal Campaign to Get Kosovo Admitted to CoE

Aleksandar Vucic, U.N. Security Council, New York , April 22 2024 (Photo: PrintScreen webtv.un.org)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on May 1 that Germany was leading "a fierce, brutal" campaign to get Kosovo admitted to the Council of Europe, as well as that it was hard to oppose, but that it was up to Serbia to fight.

"They will have between 29 and 33 votes, while 31 is needed for a majority (for Kosovo to be admitted) so it will be tight," Vucic said at a groundbreaking ceremony for a future national stadium in Surcin.

Speaking of negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina, he said that Pristina was acting "recklessly." "Pristina makes an illegal decision and everyone agrees that it is a brutal decision on banning the dinar. Then they invite you to talks and accept all of the postulates that Pristina is already implementing. If you do not accept this fully, then they say that the two sides were not ready for a compromise," Vucic said.

He added that it was not good news for Serbia that the U.S. State Department had voiced its disappointment with Aleksandar Vulin and Nenad Popovic, who are under U.S. sanctions, being nominated as ministers in the new cabinet, and that he hoped that Serbia would have good relations with its U.S. partners.