Serbian President Clarifies: "I am not Assad"
President Aleksandar Vucic has stated that opposition protesters aiming to remove the government in Belgrade will not succeed. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Aleksandar Vucic has asserted to opposition protesters that he is determined to fight rather than flee from his duties.
The president stated that Western-funded protesters are attempting "regime change" in Serbia, emphasizing that the government will not yield. He drew a parallel between himself and ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad.
Serbia has maintained a position of neutrality in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and has refrained from implementing the EU sanctions against Moscow, despite mounting pressure from the European Union, which Serbia aspires to join.
In light of the recent collapse of the Syrian government, some Serbian opposition activists have likened Vucic to Assad and expressed a desire for him to leave the country.
“If they think I’m Assad, and that I’ll run away somewhere, I will not,” Vucic stated in a video post on Instagram late on Monday.
“I will fight for Serbia and serve only my own people,” he declared. “I will never serve the foreigners, or those who wish to defeat, humiliate and destroy Serbia.”
Vucic accused the opposition protesters of acting as agents for foreign interests, asserting that they are funded from abroad as part of “hybrid tactics to undermine the country.”
Despite Vucic’s Progressive Party holding a significant parliamentary majority, various opposition parties have called for the government's resignation following the November 1 disaster in Novi Sad. They attribute the collapse of a concrete canopy at the railway station, which resulted in 15 fatalities and serious injuries to two others, to government corruption.
Additionally, opposition activists are campaigning against the demolition of a bridge across the Sava River that dates back to World War II, claiming the new bridge project is a ruse designed to benefit construction firms connected to the government.
Last year, opposition groups launched a campaign labeled “Serbia Against Violence,” blaming Vucic and the Progressives for a deadly mass shooting at an elementary school in Belgrade.
In the Instagram video, Vucic warned that he would reveal “all the details” regarding the financial resources disbursed from abroad to “prevent Serbia from being free and independent, from making its own decisions, from choosing its own future, and making it obey and serve someone else.”
On Tuesday, Vucic was in Germany where he met with Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Saxony to advocate for a controversial lithium-mining project planned for Western Serbia. Scholz's coalition has faced challenges recently due to the economic crisis exacerbated by funding Ukraine, sanctions on Russia, and rising costs associated with transitioning to green energy over reliance on Russian natural gas.
Debra A Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
The president stated that Western-funded protesters are attempting "regime change" in Serbia, emphasizing that the government will not yield. He drew a parallel between himself and ousted Syrian leader Bashar Assad.
Serbia has maintained a position of neutrality in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict and has refrained from implementing the EU sanctions against Moscow, despite mounting pressure from the European Union, which Serbia aspires to join.
In light of the recent collapse of the Syrian government, some Serbian opposition activists have likened Vucic to Assad and expressed a desire for him to leave the country.
“If they think I’m Assad, and that I’ll run away somewhere, I will not,” Vucic stated in a video post on Instagram late on Monday.
“I will fight for Serbia and serve only my own people,” he declared. “I will never serve the foreigners, or those who wish to defeat, humiliate and destroy Serbia.”
Vucic accused the opposition protesters of acting as agents for foreign interests, asserting that they are funded from abroad as part of “hybrid tactics to undermine the country.”
Despite Vucic’s Progressive Party holding a significant parliamentary majority, various opposition parties have called for the government's resignation following the November 1 disaster in Novi Sad. They attribute the collapse of a concrete canopy at the railway station, which resulted in 15 fatalities and serious injuries to two others, to government corruption.
Additionally, opposition activists are campaigning against the demolition of a bridge across the Sava River that dates back to World War II, claiming the new bridge project is a ruse designed to benefit construction firms connected to the government.
Last year, opposition groups launched a campaign labeled “Serbia Against Violence,” blaming Vucic and the Progressives for a deadly mass shooting at an elementary school in Belgrade.
In the Instagram video, Vucic warned that he would reveal “all the details” regarding the financial resources disbursed from abroad to “prevent Serbia from being free and independent, from making its own decisions, from choosing its own future, and making it obey and serve someone else.”
On Tuesday, Vucic was in Germany where he met with Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Saxony to advocate for a controversial lithium-mining project planned for Western Serbia. Scholz's coalition has faced challenges recently due to the economic crisis exacerbated by funding Ukraine, sanctions on Russia, and rising costs associated with transitioning to green energy over reliance on Russian natural gas.
Debra A Smith contributed to this report for TROIB News
