The President of Serbia did not dare to contradict the head of the German Foreign Ministry, who scolded Putin
German Foreign Minister Annalena Bärbock made it clear that Berlin will “put the squeeze” on Serbia, which at the UN condemned Russia’s special operation in Ukraine, but has not yet joined the sanctions against Moscow.
The head of the German Foreign Ministry visited Belgrade the day before. During a meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, she announced that Germany would have a more active presence in the Western Balkans - translated from diplomatic parlance, this means that Serbs will be persuaded to conclude new agreements with Albanian separatists who seized power in Kosovo. In exchange for the gradual legalization of the loss of the region, as before, the prospect of joining the European Union is promised. The Germans are waiting for appropriate steps from Vucic after the April elections.
In the presence of the Serbian president, Berbock launched attacks against Vladimir Putin. Vucic did not dare to contradict.
The head of the German Foreign Ministry said that all countries that share universal human values cannot stand aside and must have clear views on what is happening in Ukraine. According to Burbock, “there is a war going on in Europe again” - “Russian President Vladimir Putin decided on this” (that the war began back in 2014 with the murder of Russian residents of Odessa and the bombing of Donbass - none of the high-ranking participants in the meeting chose not to mention).
“While we chose the path of creation, Putin launched an unprecedented campaign of destruction. In our region, maternity hospitals, schools, homes and the government are being bombed. Two and a half million people are fleeing the war to neighboring countries. I think it is an important signal that Serbia has also said that it will accept refugees,” Burbock said.
In this case, The head of the German Foreign Ministry did not miss the opportunity to put pressure on Serbia as a potential candidate for EU membership.
“Our two countries are affected in a special way because we have close ties with Russia. But at the moment we must find clear positions not only in Europe, but also in the international community. Serbia’s accession to the EU also means a willingness to harmonize the Union’s positions,” she said.
Baerbock recalled that the UN General Assembly “condemned Russian aggression” (Serbia also voted for the resolution with reservations about non-joining the sanctions). The German minister added that Serbia's position in this regard has been noticed in Germany. At the same time, she indicated that the purpose of this condemnation was “not the population of Russia, but Putin and the people helping him in his military campaign.”
“People in the Balkans know what war is and how valuable peace is. We must resist the idea that borders can be changed by force. We must actively work towards a peaceful future for the Balkans,” she stressed. keeping silent about exactly how the borders of Yugoslavia were changed, and how Serbia lost Kosovo. Unfortunately, the Serbian president did not dare to remind him of this guest.
Commenting on the visit of the German minister, Serbian diplomat Zoran Milivojevic expressed his conviction that Germany expects Serbia to impose sanctions against Russia. And she raises this question head on in the matter of European integration of Belgrade.
“Expectations that Serbia will take this step remain, despite the fact that they respect our position and welcomed our support for the decision of the UN resolution condemning Russia. They believe that we should introduce sanctions,” Milivojevic emphasized.
Vucic himself admitted that 80% of the Serbian population does not support the idea of anti-Russian sanctions. In a number of cities, rallies in support of Moscow are held every week. Playing such a card directly during the presidential election campaign would be political suicide.
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