Vučić: Serbia will not impose sanctions on Russia and sits only on the 'Serbian chair'

(Patria) - Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić stated today in Dubrovnik that Serbia will not impose sanctions on Russia, that it sits only on the "Serbian chair" and advocates for respect of the United Nations Charter.

Vučić participated in the Summit of Southeast Europe and Ukraine in Dubrovnik, where the territorial integrity of Ukraine and the future of European countries were discussed.

As he said, there was no agreement on all issues, but it is important that the principle of respecting Ukraine's territorial integrity was discussed.

- I pointed out the importance of respecting the UN Charter and adhering to that principle, not when it suits someone to respect it, and when it doesn't suit them to move away from that principle. The best example of this is Serbia - Vučić told reporters.

He stated that they spoke about the need to establish peace, and when asked if Serbia would impose sanctions on Russia, Vučić said that an article in the declaration was changed and that countries are not obligated to do so, but are encouraged to align with EU measures.

- We managed to change that. Serbia will continue to pursue its policy as a free, independent, and sovereign country. We support Ukraine's territorial integrity, but we will remain without sanctions against Russia, because that is the policy we are pursuing - Vučić stated.

He adds that Serbia insisted on changing three things in the declaration and asked for every kind of aid to be discussed, as it did not want military aid to be explicitly mentioned in the declaration, and that instead of the "occupation of Crimea," they focused on Ukraine's integrity.

When asked how long he plans to sit on two chairs, he said that he stands before reporters and defends Serbia's policy, and that Serbia sits only on its own "Serbian chair" and holds onto it firmly.

- Are we begging for something, are we expecting something, no. We are only seeking open dialogue and to discuss the future of Serbia-Croatia relations - stated Vučić.

He points out that Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković spoke about the aggression from 1991, and he said that he views things completely differently and that it is important for Serbia and Croatia to have good relations.

When asked about Croatia's armament, Vučić said he has nothing against it, because Croatia is a sovereign country and can make its own decisions, just like Serbia.