Chinese President Xi Jinping is "one of the very rare people" who can really contribute to establishing a long lasting peace in the world, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in an interview prior to Xi's upcoming state visit to Serbia.
China has been playing an increasingly important role in international affairs. Last year, it mediated an agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia to restore diplomatic ties after years of open hostility. It also stepped up diplomatic efforts to rein in the conflict between Iran and Israel after the two sides exchanged attacks last month, preventing it from escalating into a broader regional conflict.
In the exclusive interview with China Central Television (CCTV) in Belgrade on Tuesday, Vucic hailed Xi's leadership and urged others to listen more to the Chinese president. "They [the rest of the world] all put many hopes in President Xi's initiatives in bringing peace to today's world, to tell you the truth, and I know it quite well because I speak to everybody. President Xi is a president, is a person [who is] one of the very rare people in the world who can really contribute to finishing some wars and establishing a long-lasting peace. And I urge all the others to listen more to President Xi's words, and to do some concessions in order to make some compromises, because our common denominator and interest for everything is, in the end, calm, peace and tranquility," said Vucic.
Xi will pay a state visit to France, Serbia and Hungary from May 5 to 10, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Monday.