Vucic: Serbia has never used force or any sonic weapons against protesters

BELGRADE - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday evening that, unlike the majority of other countries, Serbia had never used force or any kind of acoustic or sonic weapons against protesters.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy in Belgrade, Vucic said he did not want to comment on protests and demonstrations in the UK out of respect for the sovereignty of that country, and noted that Serbia had demonstrated how democracy should be safeguarded.

"As far as our protests and political circumstances are concerned, I am very happy and proud to say that, unlike the majority of countries in the EU and worldwide, no force whatsoever has ever been used against protesters who have been breaking the law on a daily basis, and that we have been listening to numerous fabrications about the use of acoustic or sonic weapons, whereas they have never been used, and we are certain that your secret service and everyone else has precise information about that," Vucic told Lammy at a press conference.

He also noted that cooperation with the UK was extremely important for Serbia and that Lammy's visit was extraordinarily significant.

"We hope that visits like this one will become more frequent and that we will always be able to count on the UK's support in the future, and on a rational approach to resolving all problems because the UK has been, and has remained, a big power. We are a small country and that is why it is important to look into how we can engage in dialogue with London and seek support from London for both peace and stability in the region, and for the best economic and trade relations between our countries," Vucic said.

"In the past years, we have advanced our relations, which is best reflected in the level of trade between our countries, where there is a balance between exports and imports, and I believe there is still much more that we can do encourage development of our bilateral trade and exchange of services," Vucic said.

He added that the Serbian Finance Ministry was extremely pleased with the efficiency and the swiftness of UK Finance operations.

He also said Serbia would contribute to tackling irregular migration together with the UK and other European countries "while respecting human rights as well as the interests of our country and the interests of the largest part of Europe, including the UK."

Vucic also said he and Lammy had agreed that dialogue and compromise were crucial for finding solutions in the region but that he disagreed with the UK foreign secretary on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and noted that Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik was not to blame for it.

"Shifting the blame to the Serbs is the easiest thing to do, which has become customary since as early as the 1990s," he noted.

"We discussed regional issues. Regardless of our differences on the Kosovo-Metohija issue, both sides believe dialogue is crucial and that problems should be solved and compromise solutions found through discussions," Vucic noted.

Earlier in the evening. Serbia and the UK signed three documents - a MoU between the Government of Serbia and the UK secretary of state for business and trade, a MoU between the Serbian Interior Ministry and the UK Home Office on promoting cooperation in the fight against organised crime in migration, as well as a MoU between the Serbian Ministry of Information and Telecommunications and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.