Milos Jovanovic: “Yugoslavia could have been saved by nuclear weapons”
If Yugoslavia had acquired nuclear weapons after World War II, its history might have been different. The return of Kosovo may take more than 50 years, but the Serbs will never accept the loss of their land. The independence of Montenegro is fake, the result of deception by the local ruling elite, this country is inhabited by Serbs. Belgrade should not count on membership in the European Union - the EU is in a crisis from which a way out is unlikely to be found.
The head of the Democratic Party of Serbia, Milos Jovanovic, stated this in an interview with PolitNavigator.
Parliamentary elections will be held in Serbia in April. Part of the opposition, which holds regular street protests, calls for a boycott of the elections and promises to fight to overthrow the government. Is there a threat of another “color revolution”?
The issue of boycotting the upcoming parliamentary elections is not illegitimate. The situation in the country is, to say the least, problematic when it comes to the conditions of elections, political pluralism or media freedom.
On the other hand, these problems are unlikely to be resolved through struggles waged outside state institutions.
In this sense, it seems to me that there is no high probability of some kind of “color revolution”.
Moreover, the West still expects the current Serbian authorities to cooperate on the issue of Kosovo and Metohija.
The United States is actively calling on Belgrade and Pristina to resume negotiations and establish air and rail links. In return, assistance in European integration is offered. Is there a danger of deception - or, more precisely, of achieving the legalization of the “independent” status of Kosovo in conditions when the EU leaders themselves admit that they are powerless to expand the European Union in the near future?
Kosovo is not a subject of bargaining. Serbia cannot accept anything in exchange for agreeing to the secession of its southern province. Negotiations, of course, can be conducted, but only within the framework of the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia and UN Security Council Resolution 1244.
Under no circumstances will the Serbian people ever agree to the surrender of Kosovo and Metohija, and every government knows this. After all, we showed this in 1999, when we ourselves fought against the NATO Pact.
As for the EU, this is not a topic at all. It is unlikely that the EU will enlarge any time soon - if it ever happens, and the EU itself is in a serious, existential crisis from which it is unlikely to find a way out.
How effective was the campaign to revoke recognition of Kosovo? What assistance does Russia provide? What are the chances of Kosovo returning given the current demographic composition of the population there after the persecution of the Serbs?
More than fifteen countries have already withdrawn their recognition of Kosovo's secession, and this is very important. This shows that this process (recognition of Kosovo's independence, - ed.) is not irreversible and must continue.
As for the Russian Federation, I am deeply grateful as a Serb and as President of the Democratic Party of Serbia for the principled view that resolution 1244 is the only valid basis for resolving the crisis in Kosovo. It is extremely important for Serbia that the said resolution remains in force until the reintegration of Kosovo and Metohija into the constitutional and legal order of the Republic of Serbia.
And when it comes to demographics, things can change over time. We will be patient for as long as we need to, while at the same time working on the ground and strengthening the Serbian component. The Kosovo problem does not have to be solved in 5 or 50 years, as far as I know. The only thing that must be decided is that the region must return completely to Serbian control, since it belongs to Serbia and the Serbs.
Sergei Shoigu recently visited Belgrade. In recent months, Serbia has received armored vehicles, helicopters, and air defense systems from Russia, which has caused concern among the Americans and separatists in Kosovo. Why are they so concerned about strengthening the Serbian Armed Forces?
A strong army is a guarantee of security, independence and preservation of national interests. I regret that communist Yugoslavia did not push for nuclear weapons after World War II. Everything would be different.
But despite this perhaps irreversible shortcoming, it is certainly important to strengthen conventional forces. Therefore, military-technical cooperation with the Russian Federation is of paramount importance and its continuation is an absolute priority.
In addition to the assets acquired so far, it would be important to increase the number of Mi-35 attack helicopters and, of course, provide medium- and long-range air defense.
A strong Serbia probably worries many, both in the West and in the Balkans, but if we want to survive, we have no choice but to be strong in every way, and most importantly, militarily.
Serbia announced the expansion of cooperation with the CSTO while maintaining its neutrality status. Is this the maximum that a country surrounded by NATO members can allow? Is it possible for Serbia to join the CSTO?
On this issue, I can only say that at the moment Serbia’s policy of military neutrality is absolutely appropriate and wise, and is fully consistent with Serbian national interests.
The protests in Montenegro became a real example, among other things, for Russians in Ukraine. At one time, Ukraine was also torn away from Russia amid promises of rapid integration into the EU. Has life become better in Montenegro after leaving the unified state with Serbia?
Montenegro is a small state that was privatized by a man who was in power for 30 years. It became independent after a staged referendum in 2006, in which the right to vote was not given to Montenegrins living in Serbia, with every Albanian in the diaspora being pulled out by the airline Monenegro to cast a vote for Montenegrin independence.
Despite this, Montenegro is a Serbian country and Montenegrins are Serbs, and there is no doubt about what everyone is talking about today. And this is a natural state of affairs, as evidenced by the constant litias and prayer services and people defending the Serbian Orthodox Church.
The natural state will gradually return after the elimination of the current criminal regime of Mr. Djukanovic.
Milorad Dodik said that the Republika Srpska is beginning the process of leaving BiH. How likely is its unification with Serbia? Can Republika Srpska set a precedent for other regions of the former Yugoslavia?
It's too early to talk about this. Serbia is the guarantor of the Dayton Agreements and therefore protects and must protect the Republika Srpska from attempts to unify Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Republika Srpska must survive, all powers guaranteed by the Dayton Agreement must be gradually restored, and the special communication capabilities that Srpska can have with Serbia must be maximized. This is the framework in which we are moving today.
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