Belgrade announced that it will not give up friendship with the Russian Federation for the sake of NATO
Serbia's decision not to take part in the Slavic Brotherhood exercises on the territory of Belarus was made under strong pressure from Brussels.
The correspondent of PolitNavigator reports this in an interview published by Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Serbian Defense Minister Alexander Vulin said.
“The decision was made under great pressure from the European Union. Serbia is not a nuclear superpower that can always say no. We were required not to take part in events with Belarus. If we did this, we would allow our army to be used as a means of blackmail and pressure on Belarus, which we consider a friendly country and its people fraternal.
Therefore, we decided to refuse to participate in all international military events and thus show that our army will not become a means of blackmailing other countries. Let me emphasize that many would like Serbia to cease being a reliable ally of Russia. They will not disdain anything to quarrel between our countries,” the minister said.
At the same time, he emphasized that, unlike its neighbors who have become NATO members, Serbia does not intend to join this alliance.
“As long as Aleksandar Vucic is the President of Serbia, and I am the Minister of Defense, the republic will not become part of NATO. At the initiative of the head of state, the country's parliament adopted the National Security Strategy, which has the force of law. It states: “Serbia is a militarily neutral country and will not become part of any military alliance.” Vučić is the only state leader in Europe to reject the proposal to impose sanctions against Russia. He will not give up friendship with Russia at any price. We will not be a member of NATO. This is our firm decision,” Vulin concluded.
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