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| The letter of Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ritchie Torres, David N. Cicilline, Jan Schakowsky, James P. McGovern, Mike Quigley and Jim Costa, in a letter to President Biden |
Lawmakers Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ritchie Torres, David N. Cicilline, Jan Schakowsky, James P. McGovern, Mike Quigley and Jim Costa, in a letter to President Biden, remind him of the views expressed during a visit to Belgrade in 2016, where he had "It is in the interest of the United States that the people of Serbia be able to develop and prosper," he said.
Therefore, the letter reads, "we encourage your administration to engage with President Aleksandar Vuçiç to fight corruption and attacks on media freedom, which are essential for a progressive and democratic Serbia, and for its aspirations for EU membership.".
Lawmakers urge the president to consider using Executive Order 14033 to block the entry and suspension of entry into the United States of certain individuals who contribute to destabilizing the situation in the Western Balkans, where appropriate, for to support a more transparent and accountable Serbian government that respects democracies, human rights and the rule of law ”.
The letter criticizes the state of the media in Serbia and quotes Reporters Without Borders as saying, "Serbia is a country where journalists are subjected to almost daily attacks coming increasingly from the ruling elite and pro-government media."
The letter further states that reports indicate that President Vuçiç has deepened corruption within Serbia, including using the COVID-19 crisis as an excuse to hide government spending, while expressing confidence that the US administration should take swift action to repel existing corruption and further attacks on press freedom in Serbia.
"During your visit to Belgrade in 2016, you spoke about a hopeful future for Serbia and the Serbian people. Unfortunately, to achieve that more optimistic future, we believe that further diplomatic action by the United States and our European allies and partners is crucial to ensure that Serbia can be fruitful in its implementation, and by doing so, will be able to improve relations with all Western Balkan countries, including Kosovo," said the letter of US lawmakers.
Vuçi:: One-party letter ...
"Write resolutions, statements, write whatever you want. In the end, we come before the citizens of Serbia and they make the final decisions," the Serbian president said on Sunday when asked about the letter from US lawmakers.
He said the letter was signed by "some Democratic lawmakers" and was "one-party", but "you will see how many lawmakers will sign the Serbian resolution within a month."