Djuric Replies to Criticisms of Zelenskyy’s Visit: Serious Countries Talk to Everyone

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric (BETAPHOTO/MINISTARSTVO SPOLJNIH POSLOVA SRBIJE)

Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djuric said on Aug. 8 that "a serious country talks to everyone" and that receiving a foreign president "does not mean abandoning one's own positions or accepting the entirety of someone else's agenda" referring to a visit by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Belgrade.

In a post on X he reacted to criticism of Zelenskyy's visit by political parties, protest initiatives and public figures, writing that "the very same people attacking the president (of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic) for meeting with Zelenskyy were literally claiming until yesterday that our country is isolated, drifting away from Europe and not showing enough understanding for the Ukrainian side.

"That is not a principled policy, it is hypocrisy and the need to attack the president no matter what he does in the futile hope of scoring a few points," Djuric said. The minister said in the post that Zelenskyy's visit to Serbia shows its "confidence and ability to pursue foreign policy independently, responsibly and without the tutelage of any power center," which is in Serbia's interest.

"Consistent support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of internationally recognized countries is of vital importance to the preservation of our own and the protection of Kosovo and Metohija," Djuric said in the post, adding that this was why talking to everyone who respects Serbia's sovereignty "represents an act of state responsibility, not a reason for attacks."