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Serbia can only count on itself in case of Kosovo conflict escalation — Vucic

Vucic also said that Western countries were imposing on him the view that Hitler was now supposedly not a Nazi

BELGRADE, December 31. /TASS/. Belgrade can count only on itself in case of an armed conflict in Kosovo and Metohija, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said during a Prva TV broadcast.

"Unfortunately, in the current geopolitical situation we can only count on ourselves. And there is no one else to help us," Vucic said.

When asked by a reporter what Moscow could do if an armed conflict broke out in Kosovo and Metohija, the Serbian leader replied, "Nothing, what can they do? Thank them for supporting the territorial integrity of Serbia. For that, really, thanks a lot. How can they get involved, in what? How can they help us?"

Vucic also said that Western countries were imposing on him the view that Hitler was now supposedly not a Nazi. "For them, Hitler is no longer a Nazi. Foreigners are masterfully conveying [this thesis] to me, one adviser or the other," the Serbian president added.

The situation escalated dramatically on December 6, when special forces of the unrecognized entity, accompanied by patrols of the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX), started to take over the premises of the election commissions in northern Kosmet. The Serbian population fought back against the Kosovars, who withdrew across the Ibar River. On December 26, the unrecognized Kosovo authorities put their armed forces on full alert. In retaliation, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Milos Vucevic and Interior Minister Bratislav Gasic said that the Serbian armed forces and the Serbian Interior Ministry were also put on alert on orders of the nation’s Commander-in-Chief, President Aleksandar Vucic.

The Serbian leader, after meeting with representatives of Kosovo and Metohija in Raska, said that the barricades in the north of the province would be dismantled starting on December 29. It would take from 24 to 48 hours to do it. The barricades, erected by the Serbian population near Zvecan, Ibarska Slatina, Leposavic, North Mitrovica, and Zubin Potok, were dismantled on Friday morning.

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