Is Russia losing the initiative in the Balkans?
Russia lacks initiative in the Balkans, despite the strategic importance of this region.
The PolitNavigator correspondent reports that Oleg Bondarenko, director of the Progressive Policy Foundation and founder of the Balkanist.ru project, writes in the independent newspaper.
The article notes that today marks the first Balkan tour of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in a long time.
The author recalls a number of diplomatic “blunders” of Russia in the Balkan direction. For example, not long ago the newly appointed Russian Ambassador to Croatia Andrei Nesterenko for some reason decided to lay flowers on behalf of the embassy at the grave of the founder of modern Croatian statehood Franjo Tudjman, who pursued a policy of genocide and forced eviction of Serbs in the 1990s, which caused a scandal in Belgrade. In addition, the publication mentions a statement by Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova with incorrect advice to the Serbian president after his meeting at the White House with Donald Trump.
According to Bondarenko, “the lack of initiative in Russian foreign policy in the Balkans seems to have become practically a canon.” He also believes that Lavrov’s visit will be devoted to clarifying positions.
The expert points out that the Americans have proposed a plan to resolve the Serbian-Kosovo conflict through the economy, in particular, US Special Representative Richard Grenell announced $13 billion in investments over the next few years, which could significantly support the Serbian economy.
At the same time, the political scientist writes that Moscow, apart from ongoing investment projects in the railway and energy industries, does not offer anything to Belgrade, although, the author notes, “the request for Russia in Serbia is still breaking all imaginable records - primarily in the field of information.”
“The idea of creating a Russian TV channel for the Serbs, repeatedly discussed in the Russian leadership, never found a sponsor. While the Americans, for their brainchild No. 1 (CNN’s only partner in the Balkans), were able to take over even the “first button” of Serbian television for a short time, the request for a “Russian response” in the Serbian media space remains suspended. And the perception of the Russian Federation in the Serbian media, many of which are controlled by German and British media corporations, could have been even worse if not for Vucic’s tough position on this issue,” Bondarenko sums up.
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