"Serbia is tired of divisions and blockades", said the candidate for Prime Minister, Prof. Dr. Đuro Matsut, from the rostrum of the Serbian Parliament during the presentation of the draft cabinet and its program, BTA reports.
"I call for an urgent dialogue between rectors, vice-rectors, deans and students, so that we can find a solution. The situation we are in is a threat to the survival of universities and this situation must be ended. "No one can usurp the rights of other people in the name of political or other interests," added Mazut, referring to the counter-protesters who want the educational process at universities to be restored.
Prof. Mazut outlined his intentions to transfer the administration of higher education from the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Science and proposed the creation of a council that would award scholarships to outstanding students.
The candidate for Prime Minister also said that the greatest duty of the rulers and citizens is to serve their homeland and in his speech quoted the words of the first prince of Serbia – Miloš Obrenović.
In his speech, Matsut said that “one of the biggest challenges facing the new government will be the protection of Kosovo and Metohija and its preservation as part of Serbia“.
According to Matsut, Serbia does not view the Balkans as a battlefield and stressed “that it is time for security not to be rhetoric, but a practice of cooperation”.
“Serbia remains militarily neutral, but politically responsible. We see security as a space of trust, not as a tool for blackmail. This is not just a political program, it is a call for dialogue, cooperation, responsibility and vision”, said the candidate for Prime Minister.
Prof. Mazut also stressed that the country wants a Europe in which its voice will be heard, not lost.
“We believe in Europe, but above all we believe in Serbia“, he stressed.
According to him, the country's strategic goal is to become a leader in the digital economy.
Prof. Mazut is non-partisan and his first appearance was in January, when he took part in the creation of the non-partisan people's movement in Jagodina (Central Serbia), initiated by President Aleksandar Vučić.
On April 6, Prof. Mazut received a mandate to form a cabinet. This came after the Serbian government, which was elected on May 2, 2024, officially resigned on March 19 this year - a month and a half after Miloš Vučević resigned as Prime Minister at the end of January. Vucevic resigned after an attack on students in Novi Sad, where students said a group of men emerged from the premises of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party and chased youths with baseball bats who were putting up stickers and drawing graffiti around the city.
The former prime minister said at the time that he was leaving office with pride for having served in that position, but also with regret for not having been able to implement many of his plans.
The debate and vote on the new government is the only item on the agenda of today's session of the Serbian National Assembly.