Starović: We donate vaccines for humanitarian reasons

"We are driven primarily by humanitarian reasons and it is ugly and hypocritical when such accusations arrive from Pristina, when we know that Pristina in previous months has prevented the distribution of vaccines in Kosovo and Metohija by our health authorities, that they broke into the Health Center in Strpce with the police, that they even destroyed certain PCR tests and vaccines that we supplied. I think that is absolutely unjust. Our motives are clear and correct", Starović told Euronews Serbia.

He emphasized that the other thing is that most of those countries on the African continent are traditional friends of Serbia, and that this certainly influenced the fact that they did not decide to recognize the unilaterally declared independence of our southern province.

"I am quite sure that their position is based on principles and that it has nothing to do with whether they will now receive some kind of humanitarian aid from Serbia or not", Starović emphasized.

Starović says that the officials of African countries are grateful for the donation and pointed out that Minister Selaković met with four presidents, as well as with his African counterparts, during his visit to the African continent, and states that this shows a measure of respect that those countries show towards Serbia, and how highly they appreciate this gesture of Serbia in connection with vaccine donations.

He added that the first vaccines were donated to Iran and Tunisia, and that they are also being delivered these days to some other countries.

"When we add it all up, we are approaching the numbers of one million doses of vaccines, which represent a measure of Serbia's solidarity. That is certainly not a small amount", says Starović.

He emphasized that the fact that Serbia donates vaccines to African countries and the Middle East in no way endangers the immunization of Serbian citizens, and stated that the donation program is harmonized with the dynamics of vaccine procurement and that there will not be a lack of vaccines at any time.

He reminded that Serbia donated more than 200,000 doses of vaccines to the countries of the region, that 200,000 citizens from the region came to receive a free vaccine in Serbia, and that it makes for a figure higher than 400,000, and that 100,000 doses of vaccine were donated to the Czech Republic.

Regarding the situation in Afghanistan, Starović said that since the escalation of the crisis in Afghanistan, three citizens of Serbia have contacted the Ministry with a request to help them evacuate.

"All three of our citizens who have reported so far have been evacuated, two have already returned to Serbia via Uzbekistan. Milka Damjanović is currently in Kazakhstan and has the freedom to continue her journey either to a European country or to Serbia. There are indications that there are more of our citizens in Afghanistan, but they have not contacted us so far. These are probably people who have dual citizenship. If they turn to us in the coming days, we will certainly provide them with assistance in the same way as in the case of the evacuation of the three Serbian citizens", says Starović.

Asked what it means for Serbia to sign a statement on leaving Afghanistan peacefully and whether there was pressure on Serbia to sign it, Starović said that it was not about any pressure, but about a statement prepared by the United States and offered to all its partners in the international community.

"We received that statement, considered it and decided to join it. It is a kind of political declaration that speaks about the need for a peaceful transition in Afghanistan, the formation of an inclusive administration, and the need to enable the evacuation of foreign citizens", Starović stated.

He emphasized that there was nothing disputable in that statement, and regarding various speculations in the public, he said that neither the Americans asked us to accept refugees from Afghanistan, nor did we offer that ourselves, as some countries and territories did.

He stated that Serbia was in no way part of the intervention in Afghanistan in the previous 20 years, nor part of military expeditions, nor did it have a civilian presence in Afghanistan.

"On the other hand, Serbia has shown a high level of responsibility when we talk about the waves of migrants we had in the previous years, especially in 2015 and 2016, and it is recognized in the international community as a country that has made a huge contribution to the migration management process", said Starović and added that more than a million people passed through Serbia on the Balkan route, that they were taken care of, and that there was no threat to the safety of our citizens.