The expert explained why Serbia will not join sanctions against Russia
The main reason why the majority of Serbian citizens for the first time, as sociology shows, would vote against joining the European Union - this is Kosovo and Metohija.
Former diplomat Zoran Milivojevic spoke about this in an interview with the Tanjug agency.
“I expected sentiment to drop slightly below 50%, but not that only 35% of citizens are in favor of joining the EU, because the European perspective lasts a long time and has no content that we can sense,” Milivojevic said.
He also assessed that recognition of Kosovo is a key point of pressure and influences people's sentiments.
According to the former diplomat, it is clear that this is a condition without which the country cannot enter the EU, and that the mood in Belgrade is moving further and further away from accepting anything that could harm national interests.
Milivojevic noted that criticism of Serbia’s attitude towards Russia due to the conflict in Ukraine is just one of many criticisms addressed to the EU.
“It’s not just about the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, there are many things that are criticized and they relate to domestic politics, for example, the degree of democracy, the election results and the policies that we pursue. We are often pressured to change our domestic and foreign policies,” the expert says.
“We are not on either side and are not changing our position, we have no reason to change it, because we are not participating in the conflict. We are the only ones in Europe who have not imposed sanctions against Russia in the full sense of the word, but the pressure on us for this purpose will not stop, because for the EU this is the most important thing at the moment,” Milivojevic noted.
According to him, Serbia voted against Russia at the UN for reasons of principle due to the situation with the recognition of Kosovo and Metohija.
“I think that Europe will not impose sanctions against us if we do not impose sanctions against Russia. Imposing sanctions against Serbia would lead to serious problems in this region, and the EU’s interest is in ensuring that this region is integrated, not disintegrated,” the ex-diplomat said.
When asked what the EU could deny Serbia, he replied that they might not open a new chapter for accession now, but nothing more.
“Europe’s interest lies in resolving the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Metohija, and this can only happen with our participation,” concluded Milivojevic.
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