Vucic says he will not flee if he loses elections; "any Serbian prison is better than the sun elsewhere"
During a visit to a winery in the Rasina District, Vučić rejected claims he would flee if he lost and pledged to protect Serbs in Kosovo by diplomatic and peaceful means.
Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić rejected opposition claims that he would leave the country if he lost upcoming elections during a visit to the Cvetković winery in Stanjevo, near Aleksandrovac.
Addressing local residents and journalists, Vučić dismissed talk that he would run away and stressed his role in the country's recent development. "They said I would run away, that I would hide. Why should I run, since I have built Serbia, together with others, in a way that no one in its history ever has, that I have built Belgrade in a way that no one ever has," he said.
He criticized the Democratic Party, which he described as once a major party with many intellectuals, saying it has been reduced to figures such as its current president, Srđan Milivojević. Vučić also accused the opposition of already knowing the election outcome and of complaining in advance.
Vučić reiterated his personal commitment to Serbia and minimised any suggestion he would flee. "Every prison in Serbia is more beautiful to me than the sun in any other place in the world. I have nothing anywhere, neither a house, nor a villa, nor anything, no money, nor open bank accounts. I care only about my Serbia; I was born in it, I will die in it, fighting for it," he said.
On Serbs in Kosovo
While touring the Rasina District, Vučić also spoke about the situation of Serbs in Kosovo. He said Belgrade will use all diplomatic and peaceful means to protect the Serbian population there and that at this moment Serbia does not seek a conflict with NATO, but will not allow a pogrom or the expulsion of its people. "We aim to fight with all diplomatic and peaceful means to preserve our population. At this moment we do not need a conflict with NATO, but we will not allow a pogrom and the expulsion of our people," he said.
The visit followed an announcement in which Vučić said he would call elections; in a separate video he referred to concrete dates for those elections for the first time.
Photo: printskrin / video/ rts
