President Vucic: I had no objections to the composition of the new Government

President Vucic told journalists that the “core of the Government was made earlier” and that only minor changes are introduced.

According to his words, he was speaking with PM-designate Brnabic on personnel solutions for the new cabinet and that her duty above all is to maintain “fiscal discipline.”

He also said that no one from “any embassy or government” put pressure on him over the new ministers in the cabinet.

“Even if there were pressures, I would not succumb to them. But there was no pressure,” said President Vucic after media reports that the U.S. representatives are not “pleased” with naming Aleksandar Vulin the new Defense Minister.

Minister Vulin is known for his pro-Russian stances and he often uses undiplomatic language when referring to neighbors of Serbia.

US ambassador in Belgrade Kyle Randolph Scott said on Tuesday that he did not talk with Serbian officials about who could be the defense minister in the new government. He also said that he will fully support PM-designate Brnbabic.

In the beginning of the April, PM at the time Aleksandar Vucic won the presidential elections to become the President of Serbia. In accordance with Serbian law, President of the Republic gives the mandate to a representative of the Parliamentary majority to form the government.
President Vucic is also the president of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) while PM-designate Brnabic is not a party member. She became known to the public last year when Prime Minister Vucic invited her to join his government as a non-party expert and become the Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government.

“I think that Ana Brnabic has the interests of Serbia in her heart. We intend to fully support her,” Scott told the Novi Sad based TV Vojvodina.

Mr. Scott also said that the US did not intervene in the decision on the new minister of defense.

“I was surprised this morning when I read that in the papers, because I never talked about who could become the new Serbian defense minister or any other minister,” he said.

US ambassador concluded that he had a good collaboration with the Labour Ministry during the refugee crisis. Before becoming the defense minister, Vulin was the minister of labour.

Mina Milanovic