Vucic: My decisions to be governed by state interests

BELGRADE - Responding to criticism over Serbia's failure to impose sanctions on Russia, President Aleksandar Vucic said on Friday he would be governed by state interests and make decisions accordingly.

Vucic said this at a special parliament session on Kosovo-Metohija, in response to United for Victory of Serbia MP Borko Stefanovic, who said Serbia was paying a high price for not having imposed sanctions on Russia.

There is a threat that Western companies might withdraw from Serbia, access to European funds could be severed and the EU integration process could be halted so, as a result, it will be more difficult for Serbia to defend its position on Kosovo-Metohija, Stefanovic said.

He also requested that a French-German plan for resolving the Kosovo-Metohija issue be made public.

Stefanovic also proposed setting up a commission comprised of representatives of all parliamentary parties, NGOs and the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts to determine a negotiation framework, including "red lines."

Vucic replied Stefanovic was right in saying Serbia was paying a price for the failure to impose sanctions on Moscow, and noted that he had no problem with saying that.

"Yes, you are right, I know that better than you do. I am not ready to talk about how high the price is because I believe the price of a policy you pursue is good as long as you can measure it. This costs us, and the cost is not small, but as long as it does not cost us our vital interests, we must maintain our policy, which must be one of freedom. In case we are unable to do so, I will say it - we cannot hide and I will not be hiding behind anyone," Vucic said.