NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL TO MEET TOMORROW REGARDING DODIK JUDGMENT

BELGRADE, AUGUST 1 /SRNA/ – Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić states the National Security Council, scheduled for tomorrow at noon, will make conclusions regarding the judgment against Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik.

Vučić said that he would speak thoroughly, seriously, and long on the matter, as work on the issue would continue late into the night. Vučić noted that Serbia and its state leadership have been under intense pressure throughout the afternoon by internationals seeking to dictate the country's response. "I can only tell you that this will be a decision of a collegial body, a collective institution. These are difficult decisions, everything is difficult at this moment," Vučić said. He emphasized that as long as he breathes, he will never utter a single word of praise for the judgment against the president of Srpska. "If you’re expecting that from me, you’re knocking on the wrong door. I’d rather stop breathing and not live at all than betray my convictions and everything I’ve fought for my entire life. I’m ashamed to listen to those who now preach about human rights," Vučić said. He added that if Serbia had convicted someone on the basis of a “verbal offense,” the EU's reaction would be very different, unlike its reaction to this judgment , which he called shameful. Vučić stated that since 2008, Serbia has gone through a series of crises - floods, migration waves, the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, provocations, Srebrenica-related attacks, but that it has never been in such a difficult position as it is now, following the confirmation of the judgment against the president of Republika Srpska.