President Vucic: Relationship between Serbs and Bosniaks is key for the future of the Balkans

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic says that he has always considered the relationship between Belgrade and Sarajevo to be important, and now even more so, and pointed out that the relationship between Serbs and Bosniaks is a key relationship for the future of the Balkans.

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In an interview for the public broadcaster of the Muslim (Bosniak)-Croat entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH), Vucic assessed that Bosniaks, just like Serbs, "have an incredible urge to miss all the opportunities that come their way and make enemies out of those who are not their enemies," adding that it is always easier to dismatle something than to build it.

"In the last 14 years, you could not find me or those who are important in this country making any bad statements about the relations between Serbs and Bosniaks or anything else. No, but you tried to find some made 30 or however many years ago. You tried to invent fairy tales about my snipers and rifles around Sarajevo, which are notorious lies," Vucic stressed.

He added that even after all that, he went to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"I regularly apply (before going), legally. There you go, if I've done something, why don't you arrest me? And you know why? Because you know you are lying. Not you (journalist), but those who say such things," said Vucic.

According to him, the relationship between Serbs and Bosniaks is a key relationship for the future of the Balkans, while he is always open to talk.

"I used to talk with Mr. Izetbegovic, and there are no harsh, difficult words with me, nor will there be any. We agreed, our border is 97 percent regulated, 3 percent was supposed to be, Mladen Ivanic and Covic were present. I took all the advice, even the wishes, that Mr. Izetbegovic presented to me in Sarajevo, I struggled here for three months to persuade people to make concessions. I'm waiting for him with a red folder to I tell him, 'We've prepared it'. He said to me, 'Well, Vucic, some Bosniaks think that since you accept it, there must be something hidden'," said Vucic.

He stressed that there is nothing of the kind related to the border issue and that there was "an extended hand" regarding that.

"I said 'Ok, I'll put it in the drawer and that's it'," said Vucic.

The president added that after the attack against him in Srebernica years ago, it was necessary to present him in the worst possible light in Sarajevo, and always say, 'You have no business here because our policy in Sarajevo must always be only about us being the victim and nothing else should be talked about. And until they accept the word genocide in Belgrade, we have nothing to discuss with them'."

Vucic pointed out that he thinks it is a wrong policy and added that Belgrade is not blackmailing Sarajevo and does not say what Sarajevo must accept, how it must behave, and what position it should take regarding Serbia or anyone else.

(Telegraf.rs/Tanjug)