PM: Reforms are matter of survival

PM: Reforms are matter of survival

BELGRADE, DAVOS -- Reforms are a matter of survival for Serbia, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said in an opinion piece for Belgrade-based weekly NIN.

"The reforms carried out by the government are not just about austerity measures, or the work to be done in economy in the coming period, the prime minister said. The reforms also imply a change in the spirit of a people who grew accustomed to the roles of both the victim and the culprit, convinced that nothing depends on them," he added.

"The reforms are a way to make Serbia and its people understand that there are no prizes in heaven, but that there are quite a lot of things on earth that are worth the effort," Vucic said.

According to the excerpts that NIN sent to Tanjug, the prime minister stressed that, "in the end, the reforms are also a proof that we can stand on equal footing with all other countries and nations, and be as hard-working and as successful as they are. "

"The reforms are a dream, a goal, and a means, all at the same time. Personally, I also see them as a matter of survival - not of my own survival in power, as I don't intend to stay in office if the reforms fail - but of Serbia," Vucic said in his opinion piece for the jubilee edition of NIN, marking the weekly's 80th anniversary.

"I believe in Serbia as a well-regulated country with newly-built roads and railways, with new factories, with people working," the prime minister said, adding that he also sees Serbia as a country that has achieved substantial economic growth and stopped incurring new debts.

"I see new industries, investments, agriculture that makes a difference; I see connections with the world, Europe and the region through new roads,...