Serbia will not join sanctions against Russia, Serbian Prime Minister Djuro Mazut told TASS in his first interview with a foreign media outlet, BTA reported.
"While I am prime minister, the Serbian government will not join sanctions against Russia," said Matsut, who took over as prime minister in April after Milos Vucevic resigned amid protests against corruption and the authorities after a concrete canopy collapsed at a train station in the northern Serbian city of Novi Sad last year, killing 16 people.
Matsut indicated in an interview with TASS that the Serbian leadership would not sign anti-Russian declarations and recalled that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was the only one who did not sign the declaration at the Ukraine-Southeast Europe summit in Odessa.
"In the same way, I, leading the Serbian delegation at the South East Europe Cooperation Process summit in Tirana, declared myself against such a declaration, because for Serbia, peace and stability have no alternative“, he said, answering the question of whether there is unity in the Serbian leadership regarding the course of partnership with Russia.
Serbia, which is a candidate country for EU membership, refuses to join Western sanctions against Russia, introduced over the invasion of Ukraine, although it condemns Moscow's aggression. President Aleksandar Vucic said that the imposition of sanctions does not meet Serbia's national interests.
Matsut pointed out in an interview with TASS that Western countries will not give up their attempts to overthrow the government in Serbia as long as Belgrade follows an independent political course.
After the tragedy in Novi Sad, a wave of student protests and blockades of faculties swept Serbia. According to protesters, the incident occurred due to corrupt practices that led to poor-quality repairs to the station. Protesters want political and criminal responsibility for what happened, insist on fighting corruption, and that institutions operate without political pressure and influence. In early May, students first raised a demand for early parliamentary elections, in which they will support candidates for deputies, but they themselves will not participate in the elections.
"In recent months, attempts have been made in Serbia to organize a color revolution and forcibly overthrow the legitimately elected government - primarily the President of the Republic, Aleksandar Vucic. The intelligence services of a number of Western countries are behind what is happening,“ said the Serbian Prime Minister.
“Thanks to the rapid disclosure of these plans, the professional work of our special services and the police, which I would like to especially note, as well as the consolidation in the ruling coalition, these intentions were thwarted,“ added Mazut.
The country's prime minister stressed that Belgrade will “continue to work to overcome the consequences of these events, but as long as Serbia follows an independent political course, such attempts, unfortunately, will not stop.“
On June 25, the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs announced the arrest of six people suspected of preparing a violent change in the country's constitutional order. The arrests came amid heightened concern among authorities about planned anti-government protests on June 28 - St. Vitus Day, one of the most important Serbian holidays.