Serbian PM: I was needed elsewhere

“I wasn’t there because I felt that my place was somewhere else at that moment, more needed and important as prime minister in a difficult day, somewhere else because I am primarily Serbian prime minister,” she said told a news conference.

Brnabic said that the authorities managed to secure respect for the law and the constitution. “We made sure that pride was held every year since 2014. The only difference was that this was EuroPride and there were members of the European Parliament, rapporteur Vladimir Bilcik was there. That was the difference,” she said.

She said that 64 people were arrested and 10 police officers lightly injured in Saturday’s incidents. “There were 5,200 police officers on the streets of Belgrade and we had two incident – a clash between certain groups at Slavija square and a clash in Karadjordje park. In both cases the police reacted promptly, solved the problem and made sure the incidents did not spread,” she said.

“We showed that we are a serious state that keeps its word to its citizens, that respects its institutions and the rights of its citizens. We did everything in the best possible way,” she said.

Brnabic thanked the majority of the public for showing tolerance, understanding and care for the state and especially the security services who “made sure that Belgrade was a safe city” managing to deal with the few incidents.

According to Brnabic, “a lot of people wanted an opportunity to destabilize Serbia… both on the left and on the right and from the East and West but the state did not allow it and maintained stability”. “The people who accused us of reacting to anyone’s pressure – the European Union, the West – they are the ones who react to pressure. We really don’t have a problem with anyone pressuring us on any issue, important or not from any side – we don’t react to pressure. We did not do this because of pressure,” she said adding that European Parliament officials can confirm this because she told them not to exert pressure after their first letter.