The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, said that he is ready for a debate with the representatives of the student list, but he believes that it will not happen because, as he says, “they have no arguments”.
Speaking about the arrest of student Bogadan Jovičić, Vučić stated that he was arrested for violence against other people’s property, and assessed the protests and his support as weak with a total of 3,150 participants.
He announced that there will be more than 200,000 people at the rally against the blockades, which will be held on September 27, and that in the past ten months, 24,000, as he estimated, illegal protests were held, of which the police secured 23,000, reports Beta.
He also announced that from October 1 there will be an additional five percent salary increase for educators, which was agreed with the unions last year, as well as for health workers, and that the regular increase will be from January 1.
Speaking about the purpose of the military parade scheduled for September 20, he said that its goal is not daily politics but deterrence of potential aggressors, and reiterated that Serbia will not enter into any military pact and will remain militarily neutral.
Ahead of his visit to New York and the UN General Assembly, Vučić announced talks with US officials on the abolition of 35 percent tariffs on goods from Serbia. This, according to him, could open new doors for investments, including an investment of 500 million euros by a Japanese company.
As a reminder, high US tariffs on imports of goods from numerous countries came into effect on August 7. The tariffs imposed by the US on Serbia are highest in the Western Balkans, and after Switzerland, the highest in Europe.
Vučić also said that the announced strategic dialogue with the US is very important for Serbia because, he stated, it is an important signal for investors around the world and for security in Serbia.
Furthermore, he announced meetings with numerous world leaders, including those from Africa.
“I will also talk to 22 presidents and prime ministers. Some of them are from Africa, and expect good news soon regarding the recognition of Kosovo’s independence,” Vučić said.
