Vučić in Vrginmost: I want all of you here who are Serbs to proudly carry your Serbian name and surname

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, stated on Tuesday in Vrginmost that Serbs and Croats have almost the same problems, which is why it is easier to solve them together. He emphasized that he recognized a sincere willingness for cooperation from the Croatian leadership and announced that he would soon respond to the invitation from President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović to visit Serbia.

Vučić visited the Lapčević family, chosen because they are returnees with three children, then toured the primary school in Vrginmost, to which he donated ten computers for equipping the IT classroom, and then looked at the classroom for Serbian language and culture.

“A beautiful school, but it is important to have more children. This is obviously a big problem both in Croatia and in Serbia,” Vučić said.

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This primary school has 94 students, of which 42 percent are of Orthodox faith. The students have joint classes, but there are elective subjects in Orthodox religious education, as well as Serbian language and culture, said the school principal, Barbara Ljubišić.

She also added that there has been a noticeable decline in the number of students, as in 2002, when she started working there, there were 230 students.

“Entire families are moving away from the area in search of better living conditions. The living conditions here are very poor, which is reflected in the number of our students,” the principal said.

The President of Serbia then headed to the community center in Vrginmost, where he spoke in front of about two hundred members of the Serbian community and local authorities.

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Vučić thanked them for staying in the area despite the difficult living conditions, adding that on his way to Vrginmost, he witnessed the traces of war destruction and the small number of people living there.

Vučić: Croats and Serbs have the same problems

“I came to Croatia to establish better relations between Croats and Serbs, not relations where one humiliates and defeats the other, but relations of cooperation, in which Serbs in Croatia could feel calmer and more secure about their future,” he stated.

He added that he does not understand those who attack the Croatian president and reiterated that “despite different views on the past, there are no significant differences in the interests of Serbs and Croats regarding the future.”

“I believe we have common, almost identical problems, and that we can solve them much more easily if we do it together, not only in Croatia and Serbia but in the entire region,” the Serbian president conveyed.

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“We must urgently discuss connectivity, the construction of railways and roads, and how we can see how Serbia can help in every village and town, and how Croatia can help. I think that is the best message for you.”

“Do not hesitate to seek help from both Croatia and Serbia. We will help as much as we can because we want everyone who is a Croat in Serbia to proudly carry a Croatian name, to fear no one, and to be able to say they are Croats,” Vučić said. “Similarly, I want all of you here who are Serbs to proudly carry your Serbian name and surname, to be ashamed of no one and to fear no one,” he emphasized.

He stated that he had good discussions with the Croatian leadership. “With Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, I saw a sincere willingness to cooperate and achieve results in a few months. I will very soon respond to the invitation to Serbia,” Vučić concluded.

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The local population introduced the Serbian president to the problems they face, from unpaid pensions, difficulties with tenancy rights, and generally about living conditions.

Vrginmost, a place near Petrova Gora that was renamed Gvozd after the end of the Homeland War, returned to its name in 2012, while the name of the municipality remained.

According to the 2011 census, the Municipality of Gvozd has 2,970 inhabitants living in 19 settlements, of which Serbs make up 66.53 percent. Almost a third of the population is over 65 years old.