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Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić tepidly apologized Wednesday for calling Slovenians “disgusting,” clarifying that he was only referring to their politicians.
“If I have offended anyone, I want to apologize to the entire Slovenian public, and at the same time, I want to say that I will not apologize to Slovenian politicians because they pursue a disgusting policy toward Serbia,” Vučić said in New York, where he is attending a United Nations Security Council session on Kosovo.
He hit out at Slovenia, a non-permanent member of the Security Council, on the sidelines of the meeting by accusing them of being part of a “set-up” with the U.S. and Switzerland to allow Kosovo’s delegation to bring alleged survivors of rape by Serbian forces during the 1998-1999 war to the session, a move that sparked outrage from the Serbian delegation.
“It’s hard to say who was more disgusting, the Slovenians or someone else,” Vučić said earlier this week.
The remarks triggered a swift rebuke from Ljubljana. Foreign Minister Tanja Fajon called them “an insult to our entire nation,” summoned the Serbian chargé d’affaires and demanded an apology.
“The message is not suitable for a country that repeats its commitment and belonging to European values, which it emphasizes in the process of negotiations for EU membership,” she said.
Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob said Vučić’s “statements remind us of a different time and are unworthy of relations between the two countries.”
Vučić acknowledged that he called Slovenians “disgusting” but insisted he was “referring to the session of the Security Council.” He said he had lots of friends in Slovenia but would “reduce” his visits to the country and invited Golob and the Slovenian president to Belgrade for a face-to-face discussion.
“If necessary, I will apologize once again and tell them that I certainly did not mean all Slovenians, and tell them to their face what I think about their bad policy toward the Serbian people,” he said.
