Minister: Highway blockade caused damage to Serbian budget

This is what it costs to build two kindergartens, said the Minister.

“Everyone has the right to express their own political opinion, but not to block an international road,” Vesic told the Tanjug news agency.

He stressed that the truth needs to be told about what is happening.

If a highway were to be blocked in Switzerland or France, the police would intervene and open it to traffic in just a few minutes, he said.

“International roads are such that you, as a country, have to guarantee that they will be passable. When foreigners know that there is a possibility of a stoppage of several hours, they avoid passing through the country, and, at the same time, other revenue related to their other purchases in our country is also lost," he explained.

Vesic called on the protesters to refrain from blocking roads, and expressed hope that such blockades will not happen in future.

He added that the protest organizers have probably realized that people attending the protests do not wish to take part in such blockades.