BELGRADE, Feb 2 Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said that personally respects Russian leader Vladimir Putin, but serves only Serbia, which is his only homeland.
On Thursday morning, a special meeting of the Assembly (parliament) began, whose only point is the consideration of the report «On the negotiation process with the provisional structures in Pristina from September 1 to January 15, 2022.» The head of state speaks first before the deputies.
The meeting began with an action of the right-wing patriotic opposition «No capitulation» against the West's plan for a settlement in the region. During the debate, the atmosphere in the hall heated up several times, shouts from the seats turned into personal insults. The deputies of the right-wing opposition parties stood up noisily and at one point moved towards the presidium, where Vucic is located, but it did not come to assault, after the break the speeches continued.
«Tell me (about relations with Russia — ed.), but Vladimir Putin doesn't even know what you look like. He gave me the Order of Alexander Nevsky, not you. I received it for that we respect each other as independent states. My job is to serve Serbia and no one else. I will respect President Putin, but I have only one fatherland, and that is Serbia,» the Serbian leader told parliamentarians.
He also responded to the criticism of the leader of the patriotic movement «Zavetniki» Milica Dzhurdzhevich-Stamenkovski, who participates in the debate at a serious stage of pregnancy.
«Russia is too serious a state to stand behind people like you. If such a world power were relying on you, it would be a sign of complete failure,» the President of Serbia noted.
Earlier, he noted that Serbia should make political decisions on its own, not on orders from the US, Russia or the EU. The Serbian leader pointed out that the armed conflict in Ukraine is growing into a kind of third world war, which will become even bigger and harder in the coming period.
According to him, world powers now cannot allow small countries as much political freedom as they would like to have, «as well as spaces to breathe, live and make decisions.» As an example, Vučić cited his participation in the EU-Western Balkans summit in Albania in autumn, where he said he was under general pressure because Belgrade did not support Western sanctions against Moscow.