The newly appointed European Parliament rapporteur for Serbia, Tonino Picula, is allowed to come to Serbia, but first, he must apologise for what he has said about Serbia and speak about it with much more respect, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Saturday.

Appearing on the pro-government TV Prva, Vucic said he expects Picula “to tell the truth and not lie as he has lied.” “And to apologise for these serious and false accusations; only then will he be able to speak with me.”

Pointing out that Picula called for sanctions against Serbia and for halting its accession negotiations with the EU, Vucic said Picula accused the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) of “terrorism”.

He also claimed that Picula “spoke against Serbia, opposed the resolution on Jasenovac, while advocating for a resolution on Srebrenica.”

“He has always pursued an anti-Serb policy,” Vucic said, adding that he is not obligated to meet with a man who has called for sanctions on Serbia and accused the SPC of terrorism.