'PRESSURE ON SERBIA NEVER STRONGER SINCE 1999!' Ivica Dačić's interview following his return to Foreign Affairs Ministry

"It feels great to be back at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it's like coming back home from a trip. My associates at the Ministry gave me a warm welcome – we know each other well since we had worked together for years. I'm sure that we will once again be on the path to victories, such as the fight to withdraw the recognition of Kosovo, ensuring Kosovo didn't become a member of Interpol and UNESCO, and the effort to return the topic of Jasenovac to its rightful place. We have a lot of work to do, but also strong motivation and good energy to do it in the best way possible, for the benefit of Serbia," Ivica Dačić, Minister of Foreign Affairs and leader of the Socialist Party, says in his interview with Kurir.

Who was the first person to congratulate you on your reappointment as Minister?

"Since Aleksandar Vučić and myself are party chairs, he naturally congratulated me first, right after the agreement on the Cabinet had been reached. He and Ana Brnabić. Vučić was the one who had nominated me for this ministerial post, and I'm very grateful for the trust placed in me to take up such an important post."

Were some people in the Socialist Party unhappy not to have gotten a ministerial post?

"That's not how things work in the Socialist Party. We're not like some other parties where heated arguments would break out, people would leave the party, or the party would split because some people were unhappy over not getting what they had expected. In our party, everyone knows very well that it's not just Cabinet posts and Parliament seats that matter for the success of the party. Everyone has a role in achieving success, and everyone contributes to it. Similarly, it is well-known that no position is forever, and that whether someone will be taking a local, government, or party post depends on constant work and nothing else."

Do you think that Serbia can still resist the pressure to impose sanctions against Russia? You have seen the assessments and predictions of some of the Western media and analysts, according to which imposing sanctions could be a task for this government.

"I have also seen their predictions from 10 years ago, according to which Vučić and Dačić would recognize Kosovo, except that they haven't. And what can I say to such prediction makers? They, as well as many others, don't listen at all, while Vučić and myself keep saying what we really think and know is best for Serbia. The issue of sanctions against Russia isn't a new thing – it's been a topic since 2014, when the West imposed the first sanctions against Russia. And all this while we've been making our position clear – we will not be introducing sanctions because we are the only country in Europe that has been under sanctions, and we don't wish that experience upon any nation. Of course, the pressure is much stronger now, but we are again saying to them openly that we will make the decision ourselves, considering only our own and no one else's interest. For instance, we haven't introduced sanctions against Russia for eight months because we know very well that they are not in our interest. If our interests, our economy, and our political stability are jeopardized in any way, we will consider different decisions. But they will be our decisions, and no amount of pressure helps there."

What happens if the EU starts to put on economic pressure and issue threats, such as cancelling grants and withdrawing investors?

"We will make every effort to prevent that from happening. We're already dealing with it now, as the pressures go back a while. I don't recall them being ever stronger since 1999, and you know I have a long memory. We need to keep talking to our partners in Europe and in the West generally, and we have been doing that. President Vučić is always involved in these talks, and I myself will become more involved as Minister of Foreign Affairs. They all understand our position well, which is highly specific because we're the only ones for whom imposing sanctions against anyone isn't a simple thing to do. I'm certain that we'll find a common language and understanding there. It won't be easy, just like it isn't easy now, but we have to protect the interests of Serbia with all we have."

The deadline set by Kosovo PM Albin Kurti for swapping Serbian licence plates expires next week. Priština claims that there will be no postponement despite the requests by the West. How do you comment on the fact that Kurti is ignoring the pleas of high officials of the West for licence plate postponement? Do you fear the possibility of an escalation and a new pogrom of Kosovo Serbs?

"We are witnessing for the umpteenth time the same game dictated by Priština – if things aren't done their way, there will be violence. It's the only policy they have, whether Kurti, Haradinaj, Thaçi, or anyone else is in the government. Those that have always allowed them to behave in such a destructive manner are the ones who should discuss it with them. The West has tabled a proposal to postpone the registration, which is a reasonable proposal because it removes the possibility of escalation and leads to defusing the situation and holding talks, but Kurti is obviously not happy with that. At any rate, we are making sure our fellow nationals are safe and not exposed to any kind of risk, to the extent possible given that you have an aggressive group of people in power in Priština. For us, that is the central issue, and we will be fully committed to protecting the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, as we have done in the past too."

Are the attempts on the part of Serbia to prevent Kosovo's membership in the Council of Europe doomed to fail if we take into account who is supporting the Priština authorities?

"I tackled just that issue since day one upon my return to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, because it's part of the overall pressure that's put on Serbia. We're not in a favourable position, and that's no secret, because admission of new members to the Council Europe doesn't require the agreement of all member states, but only two thirds of them. On the other hand, Priština's lobbying to be admitted to this organization has been taking a long time – it's been years, and so far we have put in an enormous effort to make sure it doesn't happen. We'll keep working full steam on that, both with the Council of Europe and all the member states, because we know very well that the admission of Kosovo would be a dangerous precedent and a heavy blow for this organization as well. We always make it clear to them that by opening the door to Kosovo, they would be opening the door to who knows what other separatist territory, which would then seek admission to the Council of Europe soon after."

Do you think there could be new withdrawals of the recognition of Kosovo's independence?

"Not only is it possible, but it's realistic. On condition that Priština violates the Washington Agreement and starts to seek admission to international organizations again. This is not a threat – we just request that what has already been agreed is indeed respected. And if it isn't, we know what our answer will be."

Are you at all optimistic about resolving the Kosovo issue soon? Next year has been mentioned by some. We can see that the EU and the US are engaged in this matter more than ever before.

"The most important thing is that the peace talks start as soon as possible and that the war stops. That is far more important than where the talks will take place or who will host or facilitate them. The fact that Belgrade is mentioned as a location for peace talks only means that Serbia is respected for its position regarding the war in Ukraine. And this position is principled and profoundly sincere, as this is a conflict of two nations which are among the closest to us, and it's hard to find the words to describe how unhappy we are that the war has broken out in the first place. At any rate, if both sides honestly wish to hold peace talks in Belgrade, we will welcome it. Serbia hasn't contributed to the war breaking out, but it can contribute to peace prevailing."

Ivana Žigić