Serbian Prime Minister Đuro Macut said last night in Knjaževac, where the first 100 days of the current government's work were marked, that he wants to restore the old glory of Eastern Serbia by directing greater investments there, RTS reported.
"The idea of coming to Knjaževac was my personal idea, actually to restore the old glory of Eastern Serbia and to remember some of the forgotten pearls of the country. "As you can see, we are in this wonderful city that exudes tradition and culture," said Matsut.
"There is a small group of people who do not consider it important to restore Serbia's former glory and improve it", added Matsut, commenting on the boos and reactions of citizens protesting against the government. They gathered today on the streets of the eastern Serbian city of Knjaževac even before the arrival of the prime minister and ministers.
The prime minister stressed that eastern Serbia deserves better development, primarily in the field of infrastructure and tourism.
"Given that the Balkan Mountains are in close proximity, Knjaževac is actually one of the centers that should be connected in this, let's say, tourist highway or axis. So everyone who lives in Eastern and Southern Serbia will be able to expect investments - greater investments in the next period of the current government,“ said Matsut.
The municipalities with the lowest economic indicators are located in Eastern and Southern Serbia, according to national statistics. A large part of the representatives of the Bulgarian ethnic minority also live in these municipalities.
When asked if he was satisfied with the results achieved in the 100 days of the government he heads, Matsut replied that he personally was very satisfied.
"My first working day was actually an invitation to the rector of the University of Belgrade to come for talks. It was accepted and this was followed by a series of talks and meetings with all the rectors of the state universities in Serbia. In a series of talks that lasted over two months, I was completely satisfied. We realized that significant progress had been made. Now all state universities are working, of course, some with greater dynamics, some with less, and exams are also being held. I hope that we will continue this trend,“ said Mazut.
"We hope that we will finish the academic year by the end of October, so that the new year can start on November 1", added Mazut and announced that the education system in Serbia has gone through a major crisis. He assessed it as the biggest crisis in the history of Serbia in this area.
The Serbian Prime Minister expressed his expectation that the country will open Cluster 3 of the negotiations with the EU in the fall.
"We hope that we will finally continue on the path we stopped somewhere in 2021. We thought that maybe we would even get to the opening of Cluster 3 faster, as early as July this year, but given the great complexity of these media laws that were adopted, we lost the rhythm somewhere“, he told RTS, referring to the fact that in December 2021 Serbia last opened a chapter in the negotiation process with the EU.
When asked whether compliance with these requirements would speed up the EU accession process, Matsut said that he was not overly optimistic, because he fears that there are a number of limiting factors and that conditions are constantly being added by Europe.
Matsut added that while he holds the post of Prime Minister of Serbia, he will not impose sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine.
One of Brussels' conditions for Belgrade is that the country synchronizes its foreign policy with the EU's policy, not to maintain high-level relations with the Russian Federation and impose sanctions on it.
In his statement to RTS tonight, Djuro Matsut launched the idea of building a monument next year dedicated to the 65th anniversary of the first summit of the Non-Aligned Countries, assessing that this would be a great opportunity to bring together all the non-aligned countries, "that is, people from countries that think differently from the standard divisions and models".
The Prime Minister added that he sees his role as Prime Minister primarily as a conciliator and mediator in a state of great passions and divisions between people and that is why he has taken the position from the very beginning that relations in Serbian society need to be harmonized.
"This is a path from which we will not deviate. My hand will be extended to all who sincerely wish the good of this country. And this will be so as long as there is even the slightest ray of hope that together we can do something good for our homeland," he said.
Prof. Djuro Matsut is a doctor by training with clinical and scientific activities. He took over the government after the previous Prime Minister Miloš Vučević resigned at the end of January this year under the pressure of mass street protests.
A wave of social discontent has swept Serbia over the tragedy in the city of Novi Sad, where in November last year the concrete canopy of the railway station collapsed, killing 16 people.
The protests, led mainly by students who have blocked over 60 faculties, are demanding criminal and political responsibility for those responsible for the tragedy and calling for early parliamentary elections.