EC says Von der Leyen-Vucic meeting was "spontaneous and brief"

The meeting between Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen was spontaneous and not planned in advance, EC officials said.

"They met casually and briefly on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. It was a spontaneous meeting, one of the very rare occasions like this, so I think we have nothing to add other than what I said earlier. The meeting was very brief, spontaneous and nothing more than that," EC spokeswoman Ariana Podesta said at a press conference.

The Serbian President published a photo on his Instagram account showing him shaking von der Leyen's hand and said that during the brief conversation he expressed "sincere gratitude for everything she has done for Serbia in recent years."

Von der Leyen published on social media a series of meetings she had on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, which is being held this week at UN headquarters in New York, but did not publish any posts regarding the conversation with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Von der Leyen will travel to the region next week, as part of her traditional annual tour of the Western Balkans.

However, this time it will bypass Serbia, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina. The European Commission's official explanation is that pre-election campaigns are underway in these two countries.

Unofficially, however, it is confirmed that the reaction of the authorities regarding the death of Ratko Mladic, convicted of war crimes, as well as his burial with state honors in Belgrade, has influenced the decision of the EC head not to visit Serbia this time.

On September 8, von der Leyen, along with European Council President Antonio Costa, said she was shocked by the footage of Ratko Mladic's funeral.

Edhe gjatë fjalimit të saj vjetor për gjendjen e Bashkimit Evropian më 16 shtator, von der Leyen tha se ishte “e tmerruar nga pamjet” e varrimit të kriminelit të dënuar të luftës, Ratko Mlladiq.