President unhappy with "Church in politics" - over Kosovo

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in Helsinki that he was affected by the "bad mixing" of the Serbian Orthodox Church in politics.

On the occasion of the announcement of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) Assembly's announcement, that at no cost should the question of full sovereignty and integrity of Serbia in Kosovo and Metohija be put under a question mark, Vucic said that sovereignty is guarded by territory and people, and asked what of that Serbia has in Kosovo.

"What has left to us us since 1999 and since 2009, and where is our army, people and the territory we control? How to guard that," Vucic asked, adding that people ew the most important for him. As he said, full sovereignty means that Serbia is introducing the army and the police.

"That is the meaning of these words. I am afraid that this is irresponsible. I will not gamble, and to safeguard our people of course I will, but by trying to clearly not want any compromise, I fear that we will not nothing to reach compromises over, because an irresponsible policy has led us to this situation," Vucic told TV Pink from Helsinki.

The SPC Assembly assessed last night that Kosovo and Metohija "has never been, nor can it be just a political issue, for whose solution monopoly is solely held by the state authorities" and added that "at no cost should the question of the full sovereignty and integrity of Serbia in Kosovo and Metohija be put under a question mark."

In a statement after the extraordinary fall session of the SPC Assembly, it is also stated that "any signature that would allow for recognition of Kosovo, (its) participation in the UN or Serbia renouncing it in any form, would forever abolished every historical right of Serbia in these fundamental areas of our spirituality and our statehood."