Vucic: Serbian Delegation Had Important Meetings in Davos

Ursula von der Leyen, Aleksandar Vucic in Davos (AP/Markus Schreiber)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Jan. 22 that the Serbian delegation had important meetings at the World Economic Forum in Davos, during which relations between Belgrade and Pristina and other regional issues were discussed.

He told the RTS public service that Serbia is the only country from South East Europe, which had attended all six consecutive gatherings in that Swiss city.

According to him, the Serbian delegation had important contacts with European Commission President Ursula von der Layen, officials very close to U.S. President Donald Trump, prime ministers, ministers and a large business community.

Vucic also said that important regional relations as well as relations between Belgrade and Pristina were the topics tackled during these encounters. He reiterated that he is “fed up with objections concerning the contacts Serbia has with Russia and China.”

“You lecture small Serbia over that, and I was in touch with [Chinese President] Xi Jinping two or three times less than certain Western leaders,” Vucic pointed out, adding that some Western countries use every opportunity to earn from deals with China, and sell their products.

He also said that U.S. President’s National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien, with whom he talked in Davos, has the capacity to listen to those who are small and understands Serbia’s position.

Referring to the criticism concerning the opening of the air route between Belgrade and Pristina he said that it showed the Serbian public’s enormous lack of knowledge, adding that he does not understand such objections in the 21st century and in the light of the idea about the free flow of goods, people and capital.

The Serbian president also said that he has no scheduled meeting with Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic, with whom he will meet in Israel at an event commemorating 75 years since the liberation of the Aushwitz concentration camp, but that he will mention the recently adopted Law on Religious Freedoms if the opportunity arose. He also said that he does not know what results he can expect, given that the two countries’ position on the matter are diametrically opposed.