Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on Tuesday blamed critics for derailing a hotel development plan linked to Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Proposals to replace the bombed-damaged former Yugoslavian Army headquarters – a treasured monument after the 1999 NATO bombings left it damaged – have faced fierce opposition.
What did Vucic say about the hotel project?
The nationalist populist Serbian President criticized critics of the project for destroying investments worth “at least €750 million” ($880 million).
“As a state and as a nation, we are the big losers,” Vucic said.
“Now we will be left with a destroyed building, and it is only a matter of time before bricks and other parts start falling off, because no one will ever touch it again,” Vucic told media in Belgrade.
Serbia’s organized crime prosecutor this week published an indictment against Culture Minister Nikola Selakovic and three other officials for allegedly committing illegal acts by removing the “cultural property” status of the General Staff building, which was necessary to allow construction work to proceed.
The complex was given protected cultural-heritage status in 2005.
What was the plan for the Belgrade site?
Kushner-linked investment firm Affinity Partners told wall street journal He was withdrawing from the controversial hotel and real estate project after weeks of protests and indictments.
A spokesperson for the firm told the newspaper, “Worthy projects should unite rather than divide, and out of respect for the people of Serbia and the city of Belgrade, we are withdrawing our application and stepping aside.”
The project envisions three high-rise towers, including a luxury Trump Tower Belgrade hotel, apartments and a museum.
Opposition parties, civic groups and the Association of Architects of Serbia opposed the project, arguing that it was illegal and that the site should be protected for its architectural value and as a memorial to the NATO bombing.
Independent media also reported that the planned contracts would have effectively transferred valuable land in the city center to the Trump family at little or no cost.
Edited by: Wesley Dockery