Nikolic: Decision aimed at safeguarding salaries, pensions

Nikolic: Decision aimed at safeguarding salaries, pensions

“This is not just the burden for Aleksandar Vucic, but rather all of us, and I want to say that this is my burden too, and that I am taking on at least a part of it,” Nikolic said, adding that the measures must not be given up on.

He told Belgrade-based TV Pink that the austerity measures are a way of safeguarding salaries and pensions, because without introducing such measures there might not have been salaries and pensions at all, so citizens could not have counted on them.

“Vucic must not give up, as I do not know anyone else who would have such courage,” Nikolic said, underlining that the decline had to be stopped.

It was clear that eventually an end had to be put to the principle of governing that could be described as “take out a loan and sell”, as was the case from 2001 to 2012, maybe even 2013, the Serbian president said.

“We cannot deceive ourselves anymore,” Nikolic said, adding that he does not expect that citizens will congratulate the authorities on the moves, but it is more important that the measures will have a long-term effect.

Commenting on the opposition's criticism that this government took out even more loans, the president said that the loans were two times more favorable, and stressed that, otherwise, Serbia would have gone bankrupt.