Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has responded to criticism from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President António Costa over the funeral of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladić, saying he respects the two EU leaders despite disagreeing with their assessment of the ceremony.
Mladić was buried in Belgrade on Monday with military and other honors, despite repeated calls from the European Union against glorifying a person convicted of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Speaking to Serbia’s public broadcaster RTS, Vučić said he had “nothing bad to say” about von der Leyen and Costa, whom he described as having always treated Serbia fairly.
“For these two people, I have nothing bad to say. They have always been on Serbia’s side, and I will respect whatever they say or do, whether it concerns me or anyone else in power in Serbia. They have treated our country correctly,” Vučić said.
However, he challenged the substance of their criticism of the funeral, arguing that the EU could not simultaneously object to who attended the ceremony and then express shock over the scenes in Belgrade.
“I would single out something from it that I do not fully understand. How do you intend to determine for people who can attend a funeral and who cannot, and then be shocked by the images from Belgrade?” Vučić said.
He also questioned the EU leaders’ characterization of the ceremony as glorification, referring to their statement that the scenes reflected the glorification of convicted war criminals as heroes.
Von der Leyen and Costa had described the images from Mladić’s funeral as “shocking,” stressing that he had been sentenced to life imprisonment for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
They said the presence of Serbian officials and elements of official support at the funeral represented a failure to confront one of the darkest chapters of Europe’s recent history and was contrary to the values underpinning Serbia’s path toward EU membership.
“Our thoughts today are with the victims of the crimes committed across the former Yugoslavia,” the two EU leaders said in separate posts carrying the same message.
Vučić also used the exchange to emphasize Serbia’s security concerns and its determination to strengthen its military.
He said Serbia must remain aware of its relative size and power in relation to Europe while continuing to preserve peace and stability, pursue economic progress and strengthen its armed forces.
“They have created military alliances — Croatia, Prishtina and Tirana, not us! And now they say: Serbia is arming itself? No, we will make sure that you do not trample on us and carry out aggression against our country,” Vučić said.
His remarks come as criticism of Serbia over the public honoring of Mladić has intensified across the EU, with European officials warning that the issue could affect perceptions of Serbia’s commitment to European values and its accession path.
