Serbia's Vucic inaugurated as new head of state

Record ID: 896689

  • Title: Serbia's Vucic inaugurated as new head of state
  • Date: 23rd June 2017
  • Summary: BELGRADE, SERBIA (JUNE 23, 2017) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** CROATIAN PRESIDENT KOLINDA GRABAR-KITAROVIC WALKING TOWARDS SERBIAN PRESIDENT ALEKSANDAR VUCIC AND SHAKING HANDS WITH VUCIC GRABAR-KITAROVIC TAKING PRESENT OUT OF HER BAG AND GIVING IT TO VUCIC'S WIFE TAMARA GRABAR-KITAROVIC, VUCIC AND VUCIC'S WIFE STANDING GRABAR -KITAROVIC SHAKING HANDS WITH VUCIC AND WALKING AWAY BOSNIAN TRI-PARTITE PRESIDENCY MEMBERS BAKIR IZETBEGOVIC, DRAGAN COVIC, AND MLADEN IVANIC POSING FOR CAMERAS WITH VUCIC AND WIFE HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER VIKTOR ORBAN AND WIFE ANIKO LEVAY POSING FOR CAMERAS WITH VUCIC AND WIFE VUCIC SHAKING HANDS AND KISSING WITH FORMER GERMAN CHANCELLOR GERHARD SCHROEDER, SCHROEDER KISSING VUCIC'S WIFE HAND SCHROEDER WALKING AWAY RUSSIAN DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, DMITRY ROGOZIN, SHAKING HANDS WITH VUCIC AND KISSING VUCIC'S WIFE'S HAND, POSING FOR CAMERAS FAMILY PHOTO OF LEADERS AND OFFICIALS ATTENDING CEREMONY CROATIAN PRESIDENT KOLINDA GRABAR-KITAROVIC SMILING GROUP OF LEADERS AND OFFICIALS ATTENDING CEREMONY POSING FOR CAMERAS OFFICIALS ENTERING CEREMONY ROOM, GUESTS APPLAUDING AND TAKING PICTURES ON MOBILE PHONES VUCIC WALKING TOWARDS SPEAKER PODIUM OFFICIALS GUESTS TAKING PHOTOS WITH MOBILE PHONES (SOUNDBITE) (Serbian) SERBIAN PRESIDENT ALEKSANDAR VUCIC SAYING: "We in Serbia are aware that we have to share the pillars that are supporting our common future, we know we cannot fight over anything without all of us again losing everything, and losing our future because the future will not wait for us to end our arguments." OFFICIALS LISTENING VUCIC AND OFFICIALS (SOUNDBITE) (Serbian) ALEKSANDAR VUCIC CONTINUES, SAYING: "That is why I would like to tell all of our neighbours in the Western Balkans we are - for the reasons unknown to me - all trying to run away from, being often ashamed of ourselves and the others - that Serbia will try to build the bridges of friendship with you and the new power of Europe and the world." OFFICIALS APPLAUDING OFFICIALS APPLAUDING
  • Embargoed: 7th July 2017 22:24
  • Keywords: Serbia Vucic inauguration president
  • Location: BELGRADE, SERBIA
  • City: BELGRADE, SERBIA
  • Country: Serbia
  • Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0016MHYMO7
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Serbia's former Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic was inaugurated as the country's president at a lavish ceremony in Belgrade on Friday (June 23) attended by foreign leaders and officials and some 5,000 guests.
    Kosovo and Albania's leaders did not attend the inauguration, but other regional leaders -- who did not attend Vucic's predecessor Tomislav Nikolic's inauguration because of Nikolic's nationalistic statements -- were all present at Vucic's.
    The ceremony featuring various Serbia's regions, food, dances and music was held at the Palace of Serbia, the seat of the government of the former Federal Republic of Yugoslavia where Yugoslav leader Josip Broz Tito had his office.
    Vucic's office said the reason for the Palace of Serbia being picked as a venue rather than the usual venue for such events - the president's office - was a large number of guests.
    This prompted criticism from opposition parties, saying the event was "unnecessarily costly."
    Vucic, who had been prime minister of the Balkan country since 2014, won April's presidential election in a landslide.
    The result confirmed Vucic's almost unchallenged domination of the Balkan country, which he wants to take into the European Union while preserving strong ties with fellow Orthodox Christian Russia.
    The role of president is largely ceremonial, but Vucic is expected to retain real power through his control of Serbia's ruling Progressive Party.
    His critics say he is amassing a concentration of power which could push the country back into the autocracy of Slobodan Milosevic's times.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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