Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić accused foreign intelligence services of trying to topple him from power in light of the spread of protests in that country and said he would not flee the country like deposed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad.
"Even if you think I'm Asad, so I'm going to run away somewhere - I'm NOT," said Vučić.
"I am alive, I have lived here in Serbia all my life, I am grateful to my Serbia, I will stay here, this is my place, where I will end up. I will fight for Serbia and I will serve only my, the Serbian people and all other citizens of Serbia, never foreigners, never to those who want to defeat, humiliate and destroy Serbia," Vučić wrote on his Instagram account late Monday evening.
Assad fled to Moscow after a lightning advance by Syrian rebels ended his family's 50-year rule.
Last night, Vučić declared that, while he is the president of the country, there will be no interim governments in Serbia. He also announced that he will soon say where the hundreds of millions of euros intended for his demolition attempt came from, the Beta agency reported.
Vučić said that the protests, which were recently joined by students, were being funded by the West with the intention of overthrowing him and his government with "various hybrid tactics used to undermine the country."
"I just want to say to those who think they are going to overthrow Serbia, that whenever they think they can hide how much they hate this country, we will reveal to you all the details of how much money was paid in the days and weeks ahead. In detail, how much money was paid in the previous four years for the destruction of Serbia. How much was paid so that Serbia would not be free and independent, that it would not make its own decisions, that it would not choose its own future, but that it would have to listen and serve someone else," announced Vučić.
He also said that the fact that the opposition is using bloody hands is a "cheap trick from the Western manuals on color revolutions", and that it will not help them come to power.
"Now there will be no more money for such things, so they are a little nervous and are trying in every way to do something in these few months, but they can't do anything," said Vučić.
Vučić's opponents in Serbia have compared him to Assad and other world dictators, predicting that he might try to flee the country if he loses power amid protests, the Associated Press writes.
The latest wave of demonstrations was fueled by the collapse of the roof of the train station in Novi Sad on November 1, when 15 people died and two were seriously injured.
Demonstrators in Novi Sad, Belgrade and other Serbian cities blame widespread corruption in the country for the tragedy, which led to sloppy work on the reconstruction of the station, as part of a broader agreement with Chinese state-owned companies involved in a number of infrastructure projects in the country.
AP writes that the fall of the canopy became a focal point of wider dissatisfaction with Vučić's increasingly autocratic rule, reflecting citizens' demands for democratic changes in the country.
Students from more than 30 faculties in Serbia blocked their higher education institutions, demanding responsibility for the accident in Novi Sad and the responsibility of those who attacked students during earlier protests.
Scholz: We need lithium
Yesterday in Germany, Vučić discussed the exploitation of lithium with Chancellor Olaf Solca.
"In the company of the chancellor, I am visiting the city of Freiberg, the mining center of Europe since the Middle Ages, which even today plays a key role in the development of the mining and metallurgical industry. I expect excellent talks that will contribute to technological progress, energy transition and strengthening cooperation between Serbia and Germany," he announced. Vucic on Instagram.
Šolc and Vučić attended the presentation of the lithium mining plan within the Cinvald lithium project.
Representatives of Serbia and the EU signed a Memorandum of Understanding on strategic partnership in the field of sustainable raw materials, value chains of batteries and electric vehicles on July 19 in Belgrade, at the Summit on Critical Raw Materials, in the presence of Vučić and Solac. This was followed by several months of protests by citizens of Serbia who oppose the exploitation of lithium, one of the critical (sustainable) raw materials.
Yesterday in Freiberg, Solz said that the EU needs critical raw materials and that it wants to participate in the exploitation of lithium deposits in the Jadra valley in Serbia, stating that it is important to respect high standards of environmental protection and that a "high degree of local acceptance" is needed ".
At a joint press conference with Vučić, after they visited the headquarters of the Saxon Mining Administration together, Solz said that the prosperity of EU countries depends on the provision of sufficient amounts of lithium for their industries.
"The position of the German government is clear - we need lithium and other critical raw materials, with reliable supply chains. Today we were informed about the sustainable extraction of lithium, while preserving nature and the environment. The idea of sustainability is alive both in Germany and in Serbia, and the EU wants to participate in the exploitation of that large lithium deposit in the Jadra valley," Solc said.
"The demand for lithium will be huge, which is why it is important that we realize as many such projects as possible in Europe. It is not about competition, but about providing each other with support," said the chancellor.
Vučić said that he expects help from German experts in the mining of lithium and other critical raw materials in Serbia.
He pointed out that it is important for Serbia how to use the experience of Germany in the field of mining and advanced technologies, how to protect the environment and the lives of people who live in the areas where the mine is opened.
"Of course, let's see what all the consequences are, so that we can ensure that the processing itself is carried out in a completely painless way, as well as landfill issues and everything else," said Vučić.
Solz said that there are other topics in the cooperation between Germany and Serbia, such as the process of accession of the countries of the Western Balkans to the European Union.
"Many things need to be taken into account here, and President Vučić is actively working on it. We will certainly provide as much support as we can, because these are reforms to improve the rule of law, freedom of the media, and so on"...
Vučić said that Serbia knows its obligations in European integration and that the country will work dedicatedly on the rule of law, freedom of expression and freedom of the media.
Bonus video:
