Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Tuesday dismissed as false claims from Montenegro that he was confronting Turkey over its supply of drones to Kosovo, saying that some individuals in the region “have no agenda other than hatred toward everything Serbian.”
Speaking to reporters during an official visit to Uzbekistan, Vucic was responding to comments by Ivan Vujovic, leader of Montenegro’s Social Democratic Party (SDP), and writer Andrej Nikolaidis, who suggested that Belgrade was retaliating against Ankara through Montenegro.
“Those are lies,” Vucic said. “Nikolaidis has always been a servant of Milo Djukanovic, and so has Vujovic. They have nothing to offer but hatred toward all things Serbian, and especially toward me, who is apparently always to blame for everything.”
Vucic said he was unaware of the incidents in Montenegro and described the accusations as politically motivated frustration.
“In Montenegro, they thought there would be no Serbs left, but their number keeps growing with every census,” he said. “Six months ago, they were certain Vucic was finished. Yet I’m still here, and they still don’t know what to do with me.”
His remarks come after several Turkish and Azerbaijani nationals were arrested in Podgorica last weekend for allegedly wounding a young local man, followed by attacks targeting properties owned by Turkish citizens in Podgorica, Bar and Herceg Novi.
On students from Novi Pazar
Vucic also commented on a group of students from Novi Pazar who have been walking to Novi Sad in protest, saying he would “gladly welcome them” but disagreed with what he called their “anti-Serbian ideology.”
“If they came to me, I’d receive them kindly — show them the Presidency building, offer them food and drink. I see no problem in that,” he said. “We are a hospitable people. But I can’t agree with their openly anti-Serbian ideology.”
The president also criticized what he described as “a degree of self-hatred” among parts of Serbia’s public.
“You’ll notice that some in Belgrade or Novi Sad often hate their own nation the most,” he said. “It’s never their own fault — someone else must always be to blame, and it’s always the Serbs and, of course, Vucic.”
Relations with Republika Srpska
Vucic addressed recent statements from officials in Banja Luka who said they would not accept orders from Belgrade.
“I have no problem with our people from Republika Srpska telling us what they think — we’re not burdened by such complexes,” he said. “We’ve always helped and never interfered, but it seems that to avoid criticism, you’d have to be very weak.”
He concluded by saying that criticism from Croatia was “the best indicator” of who is acting in Serbia’s national interest.
“Whoever the Croats praise is not doing much good for the Serbian people. Whoever they attack — that’s the best choice for Serbia,” Vucic said.