Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic: I don't want a Nobel Prize or to be the emperor of democracy

Recognizing the independence of Kosovo will bring me the Nobel Peace Prize, but for me the respect of our people is more important.
This is what Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said to the pro-government Pink TV, BGNES reported.
Kosovo declared independence in 2008. Most UN member states, including the United States, Bulgaria, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Turkey, have recognized it. However, Serbia still considers Kosovo part of its territory.
"If I recognize Kosovo, I will immediately receive the Nobel Peace Prize, but why do I need this prize in my life? I need the respect of my people," Aleksandar Vucic said during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Amid sharp criticism from Brussels of his regime, Vucic said he and Serbia had been targeted by a campaign over his refusal to impose sanctions on Russia. "If I had imposed sanctions on Russia, I would have been proclaimed king and become the emperor of democracy," Vucic said.
BGNES reminds that Serbia has been a candidate for EU membership since 2014, but in the last 8 years there is no progress towards its European integration. In recent years, the authorities in Belgrade have sharply increased political and economic ties with China and Russia. In October 2023, China signed a free trade agreement with Serbia, Beijing's first such agreement with a Central and Eastern European country. /BGNES