Vučić on Montenegro’s vote in the Council of Europe: You flatter those you think are keeping you in power or helping you

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić announced today in Belgrade that Serbia will reciprocally respect the territorial integrity of countries that respect the integrity of Serbia.

“In our foreign policy, we will take care of bilateral relations, not to go beyond the limits of reciprocity, if someone does not respect the territorial integrity of Serbia, why should we be obliged to respect theirs. These will not be insignificant changes in our politics, not tectonic, but profound and essential,” Vučić told reporters in Belgrade.

Reacting to the vote on Kosovo’s request for admission to the Council of Europe, he said that the outcome was expected.

“We knew they had a majority that you cannot threaten,” he said and added that the only unexpected thing was Hungary’s decision to vote against.

He added that the majority are members of the European Union and candidates who “listen to Brussels and Washington without question on all issues” and whose foreign policy orientation is to be “obedient”.

“We must not allow ourselves to cut off an arm or a leg and to cut off relations with everyone in the world, but what we must change in our behavior is to respect those who are friendly towards us more than we have done so far, so that we do not forget the day after tomorrow and that we always know that Spain, Hungary, Cyprus, Romania, Azerbaijan and Georgia are ahead of all others,” he said.

He expressed his disappointment with the vote of Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Armenia.

“Serbia has never held back on the territorial integrity of Ukraine. “That this decision is not accidental, I just want to inform you that the Ukrainian representatives asked for a break in their work yesterday so that they could consult with their American and European allies and helpers,” said Vučić.

Ukraine abstained during the vote.

He said that Belgrade is not “delighted” with Montenegro’s decision and that it will affect relations.

“You could have abstained, yesterday it was the same as if you had voted for the admission of Kosovo, you could have shown at least a little attention towards Serbia, and you didn’t want to do that either, if you wouldn’t have flattered those you think are protecting you in power or they help you”, added Vučić.

The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe decided yesterday at an extraordinary session to forward Kosovo’s request for admission to that pan-European organization to the Parliamentary Assembly for consultation.

In the decision, published on the website of the Council of Europe, the Committee of Ministers refers to the Agreement on the path to the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia from February 27 and its Implementation Annex from March 18, on which the leaders of the two sides reached an agreement in dialogue with the mediation of the EU.

A two-thirds majority was required for the decision of the Committee of Ministers.