PM accuses Croatia of "brutal violation of Serbia's SAA"

PM accuses Croatia of "brutal violation of Serbia's SAA"

"In the same letter I informed them about the brutal violation of the SAA that Serbia signed with the EU, that is absolutely unilateral, and I would say that everyone in the world sees the inexplicable closure of borders (as) an attempt to destroy the Serbian economy. I asked for an explanation and pleaded for understanding. I asked the EU to intervene because we have not been taking measures for a thrid, fourth day," said he.

Vucic thus responded to reporters' questions about the content of the letter. He spoke in the town of Senta, northern Serbia, where he and Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto opened a new factory facility.

Vucic also said that "Serbia trusts the EU will respect the contract it wrote itself," and that he "believes in the possibility that someone from the EU will say the SAA had been trampled on."

"I believe someone will say that today in Brussels... I hope they won't be applying any measures," Tanjug quoted the prime minister as saying.

Earlier in the day the government announced on its website that Vucic had sent his letter to "President of the European Council Donald Tusk and President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz, following Croatia’s unilateral decision to close border crossings with Serbia," and that the letter was also addressed to "President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker, European Commission Vice President and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn."

Speaking to reporters, Vucic said that he "asked Hahn what it was that Serbia did not do well," and that he "did not wish to listen about distribution of blame," and also "reminded them that Serbia asked for nothing from the EU, not even for money."

"The only thing that we ask of them is to work in line with the contract we have signed. I also said that Serbia is ready to solve problems in a peaceful, good neighborly manner," he said, and added that "Serbia cannot be solving problems in other countries."

Asked to comment on Croatian PM Zoran Milanovic's statement that Serbia's announced countermeasures were "funny," Vuci said he "found nothing to be funny" and that the Serbian economy had huge losses due to the closure of the border.

"If Milanovic thinks it's funny, I don't think what they have done to us, and what we have not done to them, is in the least funny. It is a serious and difficult issue for me. Serbia has great damage from that and we don't find millions of euros to be funny," said the prime minister.

He went on to say he "believed that the Croatian colleague made the statement in the heat of the moment." Commenting on Milanovic's statement that Serbia will not dare implement any countermeasures, Vucic said:

"That would mean Serbia is not a state, that it is giving up on its sovereignty, statehood, and while I'm the president of the government Serbia will be a respected state and it will be a state and everyone should know that, Milanovic, the EU, and everyone in the world."