Vucic: Grenell decorated for contributing to Serbia's progress

KRAGUJEVAC - Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday former US official Richard Grenell deserved a Serbian state honour for his contribution to Serbia's progress.

Vucic was speaking to reporters before a Statehood Day ceremony in Kragujevac, central Serbia.

In response to an N1 query whether the Serbian government was paying Grenell for lobbying and what his merits were, Vucic said he did not believe Grenell was receiving money from the government, but that he did not know because he was not in the government.

"But I do know that you were deceiving the public when you were saying that I was paying Blair, Schroeder, Gusenbauer, the Clintons, etc. You have deceived the public countless times, so I believe you are doing it again. This has nothing to do with a government decision, but with a decision I have made," he said.

Grenell is one of the...