Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has criticized the European Union over its reaction to his remarks about the possibility of changing the course of the Ibar River, accusing Brussels of “pretending” to support dialogue between Belgrade and Prishtina.
Commenting on statements from EU officials, Vučić said the bloc should no longer claim to be committed to dialogue.
“If you were in favor of dialogue, the Albanians would have fulfilled their obligations under the Brussels Agreement. They had one obligation and they did not fulfill it,” Vučić said.
He questioned EU spokesperson Anitta Hipper over what she meant by dialogue, asking whether she was referring to the agreement signed by both sides, particularly the establishment of the Association/Community of Serb-majority Municipalities, or to what he described as the lack of dialogue and alleged daily arrests, persecution and mistreatment of Serbs in Kosovo.
Vučić also accused the EU of responding quickly to his comments in order to “protect their Albanian protégés,” alleging that Brussels was effectively encouraging Prishtina to continue what he called “crimes.”
His remarks came after the EU warned that statements concerning a possible change in the course of the Ibar River, as well as actions that do not contribute to the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia, should be avoided.
The Serbian president has previously said that Serbian authorities are examining the possibility of altering the river’s course on Serbian territory, prompting criticism from Kosovo, the EU and the United States.
Vučić also said that Serbian Armed Forces Chief of the General Staff General Milan Mojsilović had spoken with the commander of KFOR following discussions about a possible reduction in the NATO-led mission’s presence.
According to Vučić, Mojsilović described the conversation as his “worst” meeting with a KFOR commander.
