Živković for NAP: Withdrawal of Embassy Staff in Skopje is an Ordinary Farce by Aleksandar Vučić

All employees of the Serbian Embassy in Skopje have been recalled for urgent consultations in Belgrade. Information on why Belgrade decided on such a radical move is mostly scarce.

Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dačić states that the reason for this is increased offensive intelligence activities against Serbia and its Embassy, and that there is also interference from a "foreign factor".

Dačić, as well as Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, did not want to speak about who is conducting intelligence activities against Serbia, nor which foreign factor they are referring to.

Member of Parliament in the Serbian Assembly and President of the New Party Zoran Živković says in a comment for the BiH news agency Patria that the case with the Serbian Embassy in Skopje is an unprecedented move by the Serbian authorities, and that it is solely about diverting the attention of the Serbian public from important issues in the country, and certainly not about serious reasons that could lead to it.

“Vučić skillfully manipulates citizens. But, it should be known that you can lie to citizens, but you cannot lie to all citizens, and you cannot lie to all citizens all the time,” said Živković.

He added that it is common practice to summon ambassadors or chargés d'affaires for consultations, but it is unprecedented for someone to summon drivers and kitchen staff for consultations.

“Then it is an evacuation. And that happens only in case of breaking off diplomatic relations with a country, or God forbid in case of war,” believes Živković, adding that it is quite clear that the case of the Embassy in Skopje is a big farce behind which stands the current Serbian government.

The leader of the New Party believes that Vučić has not offered the public any valid reason why he decided to recall the staff of the Serbian Embassy in Skopje for consultations, while calling the story about intelligence activities against Serbia a fabrication.

When asked how much truth there could be in the claim that Vučić decided on such a radical move because Macedonia could be one of the countries proposing Kosovo's entry into UNESCO, Živković retorted with a counter-question whether this means that Serbia will also recall staff from embassies in Germany or Great Britain, because it is certain that Macedonia will not be the only country to propose Kosovo's entry into UNESCO.

“There are other ways to defend Kosovo, if that is the reason for this move,” Živković told NAP.

A source from the Macedonian government, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Patria agency that the Macedonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is already preparing a response to the move by the Serbian authorities.