The scandal continues around the ultimatum from the United States to the President of Serbia
A number of Serbian politicians and experts reacted harshly to an article by American professor Edward P. Joseph published in Foreign Policy, where he demanded that Belgrade recognize the “independence” of the separatist-taken region of Kosovo in exchange for US assistance, threatening otherwise a negative scenario, including weapons opponents of Serbia in the region and the overthrow of President Aleksandar Vucic by the pro-Western opposition.
“It was not the Americans who brought Vucic to power, and they are not the ones who will take it away. I have no doubt that they will do everything to replace him (with a more convenient candidate - K.G.), but Serbia is no longer alone, and our friends are not weak. Only dialogue can lead to a solution to the situation, and ultimatums must be rejected,” Serbian analyst Stevica Dejanski said in a commentary for Informer.
Former Serbian Foreign Minister Zivadin Jovanovic assessed the publication in Foreign Policy as an overt threat to the United States.
“This must be decisively rejected because Serbia cannot bring itself to cooperate in the “amputation” of its territory. It is impossible to cooperate with someone who wants to inflict an existential wound on us. Serbia is open to negotiating a peaceful and just solution to the Kosovo problem based on the principles of international law, the UN Charter, Resolution 1244 and the Constitution,” Jovanovic emphasized.
Military-political commentator Miroslav Lazanski, in an interview on TV Pink, also responded to the words of American analyst Edward P. Joseph that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will be replaced by another politician if he does not recognize the independence of Kosovo:
“It's amazing how much attention we pay to an American professor at Johns Hopkins University. It is true that through his ideas and views, the message of one part of the American administration is being conveyed,” Lazansky said.
“It’s best when he says that he knows the emotional mood of Serbian citizens who are angry at NATO because of the bombings, but seem to have a commitment to them and the United States in their souls. It’s just incredible where he measured it,” the expert added.
Lazanski
It is interesting that the topic of the Balkans was also raised by the Washington Post newspaper. A recent article by region expert Jasmin Mujanovic accused the Brussels establishment of incompetence and portrayed the European Union as an organization on the brink of a serious crisis.
For the past 16 years, Brussels has promised the countries of the former Yugoslavia that “the future of the Balkans is in the European Union.” However, last year Brussels itself canceled the idea of further expansion, the author recalls.
“If the Western Balkans shirk the Euro-Atlantic community, European leaders will have themselves to blame. Completely disillusioned by unfulfilled promises of integration, the Balkan countries will quickly become not only desperate, but also dangerous - especially for the EU itself,” warns Mujanovic.
She notes that in 2018 the EU vaguely named 2025 as the earliest hypothetical date for new members to join. However, after this, French President Macron announced: there will be no expansion, at least in the foreseeable future.
The analysis recalls that with the approaching elections to the European Parliament, the topic of the accession of new states disappeared from the agenda.
The promise of a “European perspective” was an integral part of the Brussels strategy to keep the Western Balkans in its orbit and prevent the influence of Russia, China and Turkey as political rivals.
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