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Tomislav Nikolić

President of Serbia (2012–2017)

Tomislav Nikolić (Serbian: Томислав Николић) (born 15 February 1952) is a Serbian former politician who served as the president of Serbia from 2012 to 2017. A former member of the far-right Serbian Radical Party (SRS), he disassociated himself from the party in 2008 and formed the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) which he led until 2012.

Tomislav Nikolić in 2012

Quotes

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  • I am grateful to the citizens of Serbia for giving this chance to the government to do so much. But in foreign policy we will not change anything. We will do everything to be friends with all the countries in the world, both with those who have recognised and those who did not recognise the independence of Kosovo and Metohija, because we do understand that everyone leads their own country and people in the way they think is the best for their country and people.
  • For seven years, we have been under the influence of Western Europe. We have done all that was asked of us by the West. That was our mistake. But the EU also made a mistake. They should have given us full membership straight away. Now we have a situation where the Russian Federation is recovering very well, and the EU is depending on Russia for gas. I think Serbia should be the place where Russian and Western power is balanced....
  • The situation in the world is extremely complicated. And the position of Serbia is exclusively complicated. Sure, we were not able to follow it without the understanding from the Russian Federation regarding the efforts we have been undertaking in the attempts to keep the balance on the other side, too – in the West, by persuading them not to insist on breaking up relations with Russia, as this is not considered in the economic, or in political or in any other aspect.
  • We faced a dilemma regarding whether to be in a permanent conflict with the Albanians or to resolve this issue. We did not have too much power in our hands. We did have good arguments and justice on our side, but the international media supports the Albanians very openly. Over the years, our people were forced to leave Kosovo and if this was allowed to continue, we might wake up one day to find out that we have no more of our people there. That is why we have decided to raise the negotiations to the highest possible level and not to take off this territory that is Kosovo that is not fully under the power of Serbia anymore. In the same way we said to the Albanians there is no way to take Kosovo territory that is not under your power, and that is the northern part with the Serbian community. We ask for certain rights for this community. And now we are not waging war, we are negotiating.
  • Scientists agree that the average global temperature will rise a few degrees Celsius by the end of the 21st century. The severity of natural disasters will grow, as their frequency depends directly on the intensity of global warming. Not a single state, the size and economic growth notwithstanding, is immune to the whims of nature, which we "don't inherit from our ancestors, but borrow from our children."
  • The success of the BRI lies in fully taking into consideration the political and cultural differences of various countries, and China will not collaborate with different countries in the same uniform mode. Instead, countries can negotiate with China from their own specific national condition.
  • The consequences of corruption are not reflected solely in the impoverishment of society and the state, but in the drastic decline in the trust of citizens in democratic institutions. In addition, corruption creates uncertainty and instability in the economy and has a negative impact on the level of investments.
  • After more than a year since my election to the office of the President of Serbia and the appointment of the new government, which has rightly been subject to recent reconstruction, I am pleased to confirm that Serbia has unambiguously demonstrated an adherence to European values. I am pleased to note that this commitment by my country has been recognized by our international partners. In other words, Serbia has become a responsible, sincere and reliable partner, endeavouring to perceive problems realistically and approach solutions in a constructive and effective way in the spirit of dialogue and tolerance. We take pride in the visible results that we have achieved, despite the numerous challenges that Serbia has faced in the past.
  • Serbia is a step away from a great opportunity, which I assure you we will not miss. We will use all our capacities to make Serbia a European country in every respect, in accordance with the basic values of the Council of Europe – the protection of human rights, the rule of law and democracy. Serbia is firmly committed to continue to co-operate, and to promote its relations, with the Council of Europe to reach such goals for the benefit of its citizens. I trust that we can count on your support along those lines.
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