"PRESIDENT META DID NOT SPEAK OF THE INDEPENDENCE OF KOSOVO AND METOHIJA IN MEDVEDJA”

Novi Sad – While appearing in the "Right Angle" program broadcast on the Radio and  Television of Vojvodina channel, Zoran Stankovic, the President of the Coordination Body of the Government of the Republic of Serbia for the Municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja, said that the Albanian President had been very dignified and professional during his visit, and that he had repeated several times to  the  gathered Albanians in Medvedja that they lived in the Republic of Serbia and that all their problems should be solved in accordance with the laws of the country in which they lived.

The President of the Coordination Body said that during the talks in Sijarinska Spa, which were attended by the Serbian and Albanian members of the local parliament, an open discussion was held, during which no one asked insulting questions, nor in any way insulted Serbia, since  the Coordination Body would have, otherwise, reacted in accordance with the laws of Serbia.

When asked by Ljubica Gojgic, a journalist and the program hostess, if it was strange that the Albanian President had paid a private visit to Medvedja, and why he had not been received at the official level in Belgrade, Mr. Stankovic said that private visits were practiced in recent years, as well as that the former President of Albania Bujar Nisani used to pay such visits

"And some Albanian ministers, too, paid such visits, which are carried out in agreement with our Embassy in Tirana. In other words, the Government of the Republic of Serbia approves such visits. Nobody informed me why those visits were carried out, while I was tasked with meeting those people, who, during their visits, said to the gathered people that they were Albanians who were the citizens of the Republic of Serbia and that all their problems should be solved with the competent authorities of the Republic of Serbia, "Mr. Stankovic said. He pointed out that Edi Rama, the current Prime Minister of Albania, said the same thing during his visit to Presevo, pointing out that the Coordination Body hoped that the official meeting between the Presidents of Serbia and Albania, which is scheduled for next year, would take place soon.    

Speaking of the problems in the municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja, Mr. Stankovic said that economic issues were far larger than the political ones, pointing out that the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Coordination Body were trying to speed up the economy and provide a better standard of living in every possible way. 

“Five years ago, 660 million dinars were granted for the first time, while two years later, nearly 40 million dinars of grants were given to small and medium-sized enterprises. No decision on such subsidies was made this year, but thanks to the allocations made thus far, around 270 people were employed, while an incentive in the amount of 40 million dinars is planned for the next year, and we expect that we will be able to provide those resources by that time, "Mr. Stankovic said.  

While commenting on the suicide of the Croatian general Slobodan Praljak, who was convicted for participating in the joint criminal enterprise of the then Croatian leadership in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina to 20 years in prison, he said that he could not understand how someone managed to bring the bottle to the courtroom and how completely incomprehensible it was that the security guards, who were known to be very meticulous, had not responded faster.

Mr. Stankovic, who, as an expert, participated in the judicial expertise and defense procedure before the Hague Tribunal many times, said that the Hague Tribunal had not fulfilled its purpose for which it was originally established.

“I, personally, have a lot of "buts" when it comes to the Hague Tribunal, but I believe the time has come to consider all of that  in a calm and argumentative manner, because the victims deserve that those who killed the innocent be held accountable for that,” Mr. Stankovic said. 

Source: Radio and Television of Vojvodina, “Tanjug” news agency and Coordination Body