Serbia

White House national security spokesperson

29 Sep 2023 3 2

Aleksandar Vucic

Inserted 10 months ago

“We are at the crossroads whether we will have peace or not … and there's one man in the Balkans who wants to incite conflicts at any cost - and that is Albin Kurti.”

Serbian president

14 Jun 2023 2 2

Aleksandar Vucic

Inserted 1 year ago

“The removal of barricades will begin. This is not a simple process, and can't be done in two hours, as some imagined. But within 24 to 48 hours the barricades will be removed. But distrust is not removed. Those who are playing with [the] very existence of Serbs in Kosovo must know that, same like we didn't allow it now, we will not allow it in the future as well.”

Serbian president

28 Dec 2022 1 2

Skender Perteshi

Inserted 1 year ago

“The idea of Serbia and Russia together is to try to make conflicts and crisis anywhere where the West has a role and to increase this kind of instability in the region to increase the influence of Russia and Serbia in the region.”

Academic at the Kosovar Centre for Security Studies

28 Dec 2022 3 3

Milos Vucevic

Inserted 1 year ago

“Serbia's president … ordered the Serbian army to be on the highest level of combat readiness, that is to the level of the use of armed force.”

Serbia’s Defence Minister

26 Dec 2022 2 2

Tim Judah

Inserted 1 year ago

“I am sure that the Russians are very happy and encouraging Serbia to take the stance that it is at the moment because clearly it is in its interests to try and make trouble in another part of the continent and distract Western attention from Ukraine. But this issue and the frequent flare-ups of tension long predate the Ukraine war so there is no reason to assume what we have seen recently would not be happening regardless. The only difference is that Ukraine has given an added impetus to the EU and US to try and resolve the Serbia-Kosovo issue, which is why we have seen so much diplomatic activity over the last few months.”

Special correspondent for The Economist magazine

15 Dec 2022 5 10

John Feffer

Inserted 1 year ago

“Although Serbia hasn't imposed sanctions, it also didn't recognise the breakaway regions, and Vucic was unhappy with Putin's explicit use of Kosovo as a precedent to justify the independent status of the Donbas. Serbia is also dependent on EU assistance, so that serves as a serious brake on any steps Belgrade takes toward Kosovo.”

Director of Foreign Policy in Focus

15 Dec 2022 6 5

Bojan Klacar

Inserted 2 years ago

“Ponos [Zdravko Ponos] is a candidate of the center-right and it seems that the opposition wanted to find an individual that can be a good candidate for what's considered the political mainstream in Serbia, which leans more to the right. The opposition wants to send a message that Zdravko Ponos isn't someone who will diverge dramatically from the desires of the average voter in Serbia.”

Political analyst from the Centre for Free Elections and Democracy

01 Apr 2022 3 3

Vladimir Bilcik

Inserted 2 years ago

“Voters in Serbia decided to change the Constitution in order to improve the work and independence of their justice system. The substance and result of the 16 January referendum were about important rule of law reforms. This news moves Serbia another step forward on its European path.”

European Parliament Rapporteur for Serbia

16 Jan 2022 4 5

Olivér Várhelyi

Inserted 2 years ago

“In today's referendum voters supported the change of the Constitution to reinforce judicial independence. I welcome this important step and commitment to EU path. We will continue to work with Serbian authorities on ambitious reform agenda, advancing EU integration.”

European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement

16 Jan 2022 4 3

Aleksandar Vucic

Inserted 2 years ago

“There would be greater and far-reaching consequences than expected if polling stations were not opened in Kosovo.”

Serbian president

12 Jan 2022 2 2

Aleksandar Vucic

Inserted 2 years ago

“The Open Balkan initiative is one of the biggest ideas in today's Europe. The most important goal is to unite people who have been focusing more on the past rather than the future. It is important to connect people and their businesses.”

Serbian president

21 Dec 2021 2 2

Gasper Dovzan

Inserted 2 years ago

“The Serbian government prioritized EU-related reforms and delivered on a number of important commitments, in particular on taxation and energy. But further efforts are needed. Serbia's progress on the rule of law and the normalization of relations with Kosovo remains essential and will continue to determine the overall pace of the negotiations.”

State secretary at the Slovenian Foreign Ministry

14 Dec 2021 3 5

Olivér Várhelyi

Inserted 2 years ago

“Serbia is taking yet another very important step forward joining the European Union.”

European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement

14 Dec 2021 1 3

Vladimir Terzic

Inserted 2 years ago

“When you encroach on the sphere of property owners, the state must keep in mind that this is a right protected by the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia but also by the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. Leaving a deadline of only five days for the owner of the real estate to declare himself about the proposal for expropriation is inappropriate, [and is] obviously calculated for the seizure of property in a legal way. Leaving a deadline of only five days for the owner of the real estate to declare himself about the proposal for expropriation is inappropriate, [and is] obviously calculated for the seizure of property in a legal way.”

Media lawyer in Serbia

28 Nov 2021 3 3

Aleksandar Vucic

Inserted 2 years ago

“There will be other important major things of strategic interest for Serbia in the future, and not in the distant future. So we will have the first things before the end of the year in Serbia. These are not strategic, but tactical things are very important.”

Serbian president

26 Nov 2021 1 2

Aleksandar Vucic

Inserted 2 years ago

“The stabilisation of relations and their overall improvement can occur if there is a willingness to do so on both sides, with mutual respect and consideration of common needs and interests.”

Serbian president

03 Nov 2021 1 2

Ana Brnabic

Inserted 2 years ago

“Some issues are not raised at the first meetings. I believe this will be resolved in time.”

Prime Minister of Serbia

03 Nov 2021 1 2

Dimitar Bechev

Inserted 2 years ago

“Serbia, negotiating its accession since 2014, has not opened any new chapters since December 2019. Montenegro, the frontrunner, is now carrying out talks on all EU dossiers, but there is no end in sight for that country either. Then, there is North Macedonia, which has been blocked from launching membership negotiations by its neighbour Bulgaria over a dispute about history and language. Albania, another hopeful, is a collateral damage because it is bundled together with the Macedonians. Bosnia and Kosovo are even further behind in the queue. Kosovars are frustrated that despite meeting all technical conditions they are still denied visa-free travel to the Schengen zone, unlike those living in the rest of the Western Balkans as well as post-Soviet republics such as Moldova, Georgia and Ukraine. Europe, it seems, is keeping the region at an arms-length, while continuing to occasionally pay lip service to demands for enlargement.”

Europe’s Futures Fellow at the Institute of Human Sciences in Vienna

21 Oct 2021 14 8

Aleksandar Vucic

Inserted 2 years ago

“Do not react to non-violence, but if they [Kosovo authorities] start violence, you protect your people and we will be with you. Just keep in mind what the price is that we will all have to pay for that, and why my request is to try to avoid it, and if they [Kosovo authorities] start and continue shooting our people, then we really won't have a choice.”

Serbian president

13 Oct 2021 2 2

Aleksandar Vucic

Inserted 2 years ago

“Serbia luckily had the courage to build a gas pipeline with Russia. I was told I was crazy because I didn't want to close the coal mines … [but] you can't balance electricity with wind and solar energy. The crisis is much bigger than you think, the prices of construction materials are rising everywhere in Europe … Luckily, we had the courage to build a gas pipeline with Russia [Turkish stream]; if we hadn't, I could just take ropes to hang myself.”

Serbian president

11 Oct 2021 8 3

Marija Ignjatijevic

Inserted 2 years ago

“Most of [Serbia's] planning and strategic documents remain hidden from the public eye or are non-existent. Military budget increases are made 'ad hoc' in accordance with foreign policy interests. Moreover, the Serbian Armed Forces and armament are constantly misused in pompous nationally broadcast exercises and parades, followed by tabloid outlet campaigns - in order to consolidate power and gain more votes, but also to score in geostrategic games.”

Researcher at the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy

06 Oct 2021 2 4

Daniel Serwer

Inserted 2 years ago

“Serbia would have to abandon any EU ambitions if it acted militarily against Bosnia or Kosovo. But Vucic [Aleksandar Vucic] appears to have already given up on EU accession. The situation is dangerous. NATO needs to make clear that it will not tolerate Serbian mobilisation of forces against its neighbours, as it did last week against Kosovo, which has no army.”

Professor who served as the US special envoy and coordinator for the Federation entity

06 Oct 2021 8 7

Reuf Bajrovic

Inserted 2 years ago

“Vucic [Aleksandar Vucic] is preparing to use military force in Kosovo and Bosnia when international circumstances change in his favour - such as when US troops withdraw from KFOR (the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo) or when Russia - Serbia's ally - decides to directly intervene in the region. Russia-trained mercenaries in Bosnia and Montenegro are an integral part of the Serbian military strategy for the region. It is a carbon copy of [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's pre-invasion actions in Georgia and Ukraine. Vucic government officials have openly stated that Serbia will use military force in its neighbourhood, including a threat Vucic issued against NATO troops in Kosovo last week.”

Co-chair of the US-Europe Alliance organisation

06 Oct 2021 13 6

Aleksandar Vucic

Inserted 2 years ago

“Any kind of destabilization, problems even if they aren't big, create a huge problem for all of us in terms of attracting investors and the country's image. It's in our interest to try to advance our economy and work on rule of law.”

Serbia's President

30 Sep 2021 3 3

Aleksandar Vulin

Inserted 2 years ago

“There is nothing more important than the preservation of the Serb identity.”

Serbian Interior Minister

15 Sep 2021 2 2

Aleksandar Vucic

Inserted 2 years ago

“We will be among the first in the world to have the opportunity to change the content of the substance together with partners from China and the UAE, and to be among the first in the world to share the benefits of scientific discoveries with the people and to increase the efficiency and quality of vaccines.”

Serbian president

09 Sep 2021 3 3

Ana Brnabic

Inserted 2 years ago

“The level of our cooperation, in addition to this strategic partnership, is evidenced by the fact that the Republic of Serbia, i.e. the government I lead, has not had such a large number of joint government sessions with any other country. Hungary is a country that openly and, above all, sincerely stands for the enlargement agenda and is the greatest support for our path in the European Union.”

Prime Minister of Serbia

08 Sep 2021 3 3

Dragan Djilas

Inserted 2 years ago

“The proposal we received is not acceptable for the citizens of Serbia, because it does not contain clear mechanisms that would enable respect for the law, the implementation of which is necessary for us to have free elections.”

Head of the Party of Freedom and Justice and former Belgrade mayor

08 Sep 2021 2 3

Wilson Center

Inserted 2 years ago

“Re-energized US and EU support is necessary to realize the goal of independent, multi-ethnic states and societies co-existing peacefully in the Western Balkans. Property rights and cultural heritage for all citizens in Kosovo must be secured, particularly for Kosovo Serbs' property outside of North Mitrovica and surrounding areas, and for Kosovo Albanians' property in the northern four [Serb-majority] municipalities [of Kosovo]. By not acting more strategically to help Serbia and Kosovo resolve their dispute, the EU has contributed to the current situation, in which the entire region is in a state of tension, enabling interference by Russia, China, and others. If meaningful measures are not taken to further consolidate Kosovo's sovereignty, and to support its multi-ethnic and inclusive society, Kosovo will-paradoxically-come to symbolize Western failure.”

Report 'CONSOLIDATING KOSOVO’S SOVEREIGNTY: Why it Matters, and What Must Be Done' by Wilson Center

04 Aug 2021 11 7

Srdan Cvijić

Inserted 2 years ago

“Vulin's statements look like a not-so-washed-up version of the policy of Greater Serbia on the borders of Karlovac – Karlobag – Virovitica, which was propagated in the 1990s by Vojislav Šešelj, political father of the current President of Serbia. We all know what misfortune this politics brought to peoples of Yugoslavia, including the Serbs, so it is normal that such statements by the Minister of the Interior cause unrest among Serbia's neighbours in the region, but also strengthen nationalists in their ranks. Vulin fits perfectly into the role of a political chameleon, who went from the conceited Che Guevara, a member of the Yugoslav United Left led by the wife of dictator Slobodan Milošević, to his current version of a Serbia nationalist particularly fascinated by uniforms. The phrase 'Serbian World' is used as a counter-argument by some in the opposition, who accuse SNS [Serbian Progressive Party] and Serbian President Vučić of being ready for a compromise, according to which Serbia will, on one way or another, accept Kosovo's independence.”

Senior Analyst at the Open Society European Policy Institute in Brussels

20 Jul 2021 11 3

Miroslav Lajčák

Inserted 2 years ago

“The European future for Serbia and Kosovo depends on the normalization of their relations. The meeting was difficult and it demonstrated very different approaches of the two parties to the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. As a consequence, we achieved very little progress today.”

Balkaneu

European Union's special envoy to Serbia-Kosovo talks

19 Jul 2021 3 3

Aleksandar Vucic

Inserted 2 years ago

“There were three points, to intensify joint efforts to identify the remains of the missing persons, to refrain from things that could potentially destabilize the situation on the ground and for the main negotiators to meet regularly, once a month, and prepare meetings when necessary. They [Kosovo] conditioned all the time with some new political criteria. We understand that there were crimes on both sides, they do not understand that, they see themselves as victims and Serbs as criminals. That story about genocides is someone's intention for Serbs to be the worst people in the world.”

Serbia's President

19 Jul 2021 3 2

Jasmin Mujanovic

Inserted 2 years ago

“Serbia's firebrand Interior Minister [Aleksandar Vulin] again reiterates that Belgrade's “generational” objective is the “unification of all Serbs”. That is, rebooting Milosevic's “Greater Serbia” as the “Serbian World”. Irredentism now Serbia's official foreign policy.”

Twitter

Political Scientist

18 Jul 2021 3 2

Vojislav Jankovic

Inserted 2 years ago

“The policy of the 'Serbian world' is a continuation of the disastrous policy from the 1990s. That policy has led to the destruction of the state, society and countless family tragedies. The abuse of national feelings for pre-election purposes is a shameful political base of this regime.”

Main Board of the Democratic Party of Serbia

18 Jul 2021 0 1

Aleksandar Vulin

Inserted 2 years ago

“The task for this generation of politicians is to form a Serbian world, that is to unite Serbs wherever they live. For the 'Serbian world' to form, Serbia needs to be economically successful, well-led and have an army that is able to protect Serbia and Serbs, wherever they live.”

Serbian Interior Minister

18 Jul 2021 1 2

Ana Brnabic

Inserted 2 years ago

“This is an extremely important day for Serbia, but also for the entire region, because we will have the vaccine here closer, it will be more accessible and we will be able to fight the coronavirus pandemic further. Our goal is to build a factory for the production of vaccines by the end of the year, to work on filling in parallel, and to have ten million doses that we have filled here by the end of the year.”

Prime Minister of Serbia

12 Jul 2021 4 2

Aleksandar Vucic

Inserted 2 years ago

“Israel, meanwhile, has recognised Kosovo, we are talking to the Americans and the EU, and we will, in accordance with international law, but also with the interests of Serbia, and those interests have changed since Israel recognized Kosovo, make decisions in the future, respecting friendship with Israel, but also respecting ourselves.”

Serbia's President

30 Jun 2021 (approx) 2 5

Maja Bjelos

Inserted 2 years ago

“The goal of this exercise, this play, was mostly directed toward domestic public opinion. The army is strong if it has people who know how to handle equipment, especially if we're talking about equipment that was procured either from Russia or China, if it is professional and depoliticized - that is, it is not instrumentalized by politicians and political parties. On the other hand, the priorities of the citizens of Serbia are to have clean water and clean air, better health, [and] higher employment.”