Serbian President Discusses Cooperation, Kosovo, Gun Control With US Senators - Office

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has received US Senators Chris Murphy and Gary Peters and discussed with them cooperation between Belgrade and Washington, the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and issues related to gun control, the presidential office said on Thursday

BELGRADE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th May, 2023) Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has received US Senators Chris Murphy and Gary Peters and discussed with them cooperation between Belgrade and Washington, the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and issues related to gun control, the presidential office said on Thursday.

Peters and Murphy are on a working visit to the Western Balkans. On Wednesday, they met with Serbian Defense Minister Milos Vucevic.

"The president ... noted in the conversation that our country is determined to develop closer cooperation with the US in all areas of mutual interest," the presidential office said in a statement.

The parties also discussed the ongoing dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.

"The President pointed out that Belgrade has demonstrated seriousness and responsibility since the beginning of the dialogue, despite constant provocations and several unilateral steps by Pristina, which hinder the process of finding a compromise and a sustainable solution," the statement read.

The US senators expressed their condolences over the recent tragic events in Serbia and exchanged views on the gun control measures taken by the Serbian authorities, taking into account Murphy's measures following the 2012 mass shooting at a school in Connecticut, the president's office added.

The meeting came amid a recent upsurge in violence among young men in Serbia. On the night of May 5-6, 21-year-old Uros Blazic killed eight people and injured 14 with an automatic rifle in the municipality of Mladenovac near Belgrade. He reportedly shot a police officer and his sister, and continued to shoot at random people before being apprehended by police.

Two days earlier, a seventh-grader shot and killed eight children and a security guard and wounded six children and a teacher at a Belgrade school. The shooter was arrested, but he cannot be prosecuted because he is not yet 14 years old. The boy was taken to a psychiatric hospital.

Serbia declared a period of national mourning from May 5-7 for the 17 victims of the two shootings.