"Serbia no longer run by tycoons," says Vucic

"Serbia no longer run by tycoons," says Vucic

Asked if this means that the situation has been turned around over the past half a year, Vucic responded:

"I am not saying that we have turned the situation around, I am saying that we have demonstrated political will - at least, tycoons are no longer in charge of the country's and the people's interests, like it used to be the case in this country."

However, Vucic said that he is still concerned over the judicial and legal system, in which, he said, many things will have to be adjusted in the future.

"There is no problem with political will. There are no protected persons, there are no protected tycoons, protected politicians. The problem is that we still have an old system where people can work on each case for years, not to say for decades... and that is something that will have to change (to help the fight against corruption)," Vucic said.

"Many investors have recognized this - I am confident that we can attract more investors if we can increase the number of cases solved and improve the legal system, and we will do everything in our power and work hard on that," Vucic noted.

Asked about 2020 as the potential year of Serbia's European Union accession, Vucic expressed hope that Serbia can achieve that goal.

"If you ask me whether I do hope for my country to become a new member state, yes I do. But it is not something that I would like to promise to my people to gain some more political points and then not to deliver," Vucic said.

Asked about recognition of Kosovo as a condition for EU membership, Vucic responded that he has never heard of that condition and that he does not expect it.

"To say you have to recognizse Kosovo as an independent state... would be the kind of condition that would be saying or conveying a message to Serbia, 'OK, we do not expect you in the European Union very soon,'" Vucic said.

Speaking about the freedom of the press, the prime minister dismissed objections that he personally interferes with reporting.

I do not do that, and I am not afraid of competition, Vucic noted.

He said that the reason behind such claims is that there are no other arguments to be used against him or the courageous start of tough economic reforms, and that he cannot be accused of being involved in corruption.

Asked if this means that he will let the media do their job, he answered affirmatively.

Asked how much of a blow the abandonment of the South Stream gas pipeline project was to Serbia, Vucic reiterated that it was a shock because the previous two Serbian governments worked on the project.

He said that an agreement on the project had already been signed and that Serbia counted on it in terms of energy security.

"Our experts are now working on finding alternative ways to ensure gas supplies for the country," Vucic said.

"Serbia is renewing its energy and is once again a very open society," he told the broadcaster.

He gave the interview before the recent Third Meeting of Heads of Government of China and Central and Eastern European Countries in Belgrade, and said that the visit of 16 prime ministers to the Serbian capital has demonstrated that Belgrade has become an open, connected city again.

"Many people from all over the world would associate Serbia with some past times, with the wars, and some terrible times not only for Serbia but for the whole region. I dare to say today that Serbia is renewing its energy, Serbia is once again a very open society and a very open place for all our guests," Vucic noted.

Asked what China is getting out of investing in Serbia, Vucic replied:

"They get our money. It is capitalism; they invest something, they earn money and that is it -- it is a market economy."

Responding to a comment that all European countries that took part in the meeting are competing for Chinese investments, Vucic said that Serbia is not afraid of competition.

"We do our best. Of course there is competition, that's something very normal between countries and Serbia is not afraid of competition. From Serbia you have a very open market of one billion people, which means that we have free trade agreements with the European Union, and on the other hand we have free trade agreements with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan, as well as Turkey," the Serbian prime minister said.

"We also have a very good relationship with many Asian countries, including China and Japan, and I think we still have many ties in the non-alignment movement. As former Yugoslavia, we were founders of the non-alignment movement and I think that many investors should come to Serbia to use our unique position. Also, we have very competitive labour costs, very high-skilled labour, and very educated and knowledgeable people," Vucic told CNN.

In a section of the interview published on Saturday, the prime minister said that Serbia is no longer run by tycoons and that the country has demonstrated political will.

At least, the tycoons are no longer in charge of the interests of the country and the people, like it used to be the case in this country, Vucic said.

He also said that he hopes that Serbia can become a European Union member state in 2020 and that he has never heard of recognition of Kosovo as a condition for joining the EU, adding that he does not expect that condition to be set.