President of Russia Vladimir Putin he stated that he hopes that Aleksandar Vučić see in the office of the Prime Minister of Serbia.
The support comes ahead of early parliamentary elections scheduled for October 25. The candidate for Prime Minister of the Serbian Progressive Party will probably be joined in the campaign by another foreign statesman - the Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico.
Putin's support
"The current leadership of Serbia, until recently the president, and in the future, I hope, the prime minister, Aleksandar Vučić, leads a restrained policy and shows readiness for cooperation with Russia," Putin said. "We, of course, welcome it and we will reciprocate in the same way," he added in his address to the plenary session of the Valdai club, an association of foreign and Russian experts in the fields of political science, economics, history and international relations.
AP Photo/Darko VojinovićVladimir Putin and Aleksandar Vučić
The Russian president also pointed out that efforts will be made to preserve the ties between the two countries in the future and thanked the representatives of Serbia for the fact that the delegation participated in the commemoration of the 81st anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
Diplomat Ivan Vujacic told "Vreme" that it is not usual for heads of state to provide support in this way.
"That, among other things, is considered interference in the internal affairs of a country. That's what Putin did this time. Trump did that to Orban and sent his vice president to speak at his meeting, which turned out to be very counterproductive. Lately it has become somewhat common for party groups in the European Parliament to support each other," says Vujacic.
Sanctions against Russia
The Russian president, in his speech, added that Russia appreciates Serbia's restrained attitude and the decision not to impose sanctions on Moscow.
Along with Belarus, Serbia is the only European country that has not done so, despite the European Union's demands to align with its foreign policy. The EU introduced sanctions due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which began more than 4 years ago.
Photo: AP Photo/Darko VojinovicAleksandar Vučić said that he will not impose sanctions on Russia as long as he is in power
Vučić has repeatedly stated that he will not introduce sanctions. Most of the parties in the country agree with that policy, and among them is the Student List - the main opponent of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) in the upcoming elections.
"Since the two leading forces, which will be opposed in the next elections, did not stand for sanctions against Russia, in that sense I do not believe that anyone will change their decision on who they will vote for based on this issue," says Vujačić.
Foreign influences
Ivan Vujačić points out that the contradiction between the Serbian Progressive Party and former president Aleksandar Vučić is interesting regarding the international connections of political actors, in which they themselves participate to a great extent, even "beyond the measure of good taste".
"As much as our president tries to constantly talk about foreign embassies and how they actually regulate everything, now he could think about it a little and comment on the open support of other statesmen," says Vujacic.
He adds that Ursula von der Leyen has postponed her arrival in Serbia, with the explanation that she does not want to disrupt the outcome of the election. "So it's another example where we see who is actually more involved in our affairs and from which position," says Vujacic.
Photo: FoNet/Instagram of the President of SerbiaAleksandar Vučić and Robert Fico
In today's address on social networks, Aleksandar Vučić announced that his guest at the pre-election meeting in the Arena on October 3 will be the President of the Government of Slovakia, Robert Fico.
Fitz's current term as prime minister is from 2023, but he has been in power for a total of 13 years. The politics he advocates are described as nationalist, populist and socially conservative.
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