Aleksandar Vučić has resigned as President of Serbia, paving the way for his participation in the upcoming parliamentary race as an ordinary citizen. The resignation, announced by him, was formalized this evening at the Serbian Presidency, shortly after Vučić addressed the public.
At the end of his speech, the Serbian president focused on one of the most sensitive issues in Belgrade’s politics: Kosovo. Vučić called on Serbian citizens not to back down from their demands for Kosovo, placing this issue among the challenges that, according to him, Serbia will have to face even after he leaves the presidency.
“We will have to protect our people in Kosovo and Metohija and not allow those who will try to convince everyone to give up on Kosovo as soon as possible, with the reasoning that this way we will no longer look to the past, but to the future. Everyone will have to resist this. Let the citizens think for themselves,” said Vučić.
He also linked Serbia’s future to economic development, technology, and continuing the path towards the European Union, while emphasizing the need to maintain relations with Belgrade’s traditional allies in the East.
Last speech as president, Vučić addresses Serbs: Thank you for standing by your country
“We will have to protect our people in Kosovo and Metohija and not allow those who will try to convince everyone to give up on Kosovo as soon as possible, because in this way, according to them, we will no longer look to the past, but to the future. Therefore, everyone will have to resist this. Let the citizens think for themselves. We will have to continue economic development, but when we talk about economic development, we will have to take care of innovation, artificial intelligence and robots, so that we do not fall behind.
I told you this once. When I was in Paris, those Americans who own the largest satellite companies in the world told me: ‘We are five or six months ahead of the Chinese.’ I don’t know, but that race is very uncertain. But, as they told me, five or six months in this business, in an era when decisions are made quickly and things change rapidly, is a lot. When I asked how far behind we Europeans are, they told me: ‘Seven to eight years.’ Then see for yourself how far behind we are. And for this reason, Serbia, continuing its European path and taking care of its traditional friends in the East, will have to develop economically even faster,” Vučić said.
Vučić signed his resignation letter to the Serbian presidency after addressing the public. He stated that he intends to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections as an ordinary citizen, thus moving his political activity to another phase.