The Serbian minister continues his anti-Russian campaign. Vucic reacted
Serbian Economy Minister Rade Basta recalled in a pretentious tone that the Russian Federation, during the time of Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev, voted for the introduction of sanctions against Yugoslavia. In this way, the politician justifies his call to the Serbian authorities to impose sanctions against Russia.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic reacted to the situation, calling the allegations that he was related to the statements of his minister false, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
On March 16, Rade Basta posted on his Instagram page* a question to the Russian Ambassador in Belgrade, Alexander Bocan-Harchenko: “Why did Russia vote at the UN in 1992 to impose sanctions against our country?” He accompanied the question with two archival photographs, one of which shows a vote in the UN Security Council, and the other shows citizens of Yugoslavia standing in line for bread during sanctions.
“Russian Ambassador Yuli Vorontsov (first from left) votes for UN Resolution 757, which imposes sanctions against our country, on May 30, 1992,” the current Serbian minister wrote under the photographs.
Earlier, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, responded to the statements of the Serbian politician.
“It’s a strange position: America is putting pressure on Serbia, and the Serbian minister is calling for action against Russia. Maybe it would be better for the Serbian minister to speak out decisively against the pressure on his country? And it’s not just a matter of historical truth, but an obvious fact: with the introduction of sanctions against Russia, US pressure on Serbia will not end, but will only intensify,” Zakharova wrote in her Telegram channel.
After this, the discussion between Basta and Zakharova moved to the level of Balkan hospitality.
A Serbian politician who poses as a macho man (he is a physical education teacher by training, a former police officer and a kickboxer) wrote on his social network account:
“Dear Maria Zakharova, as a good Serbian host, I invite you to a traditional Serbian dinner. If you can and know where to come.”
In response, the Russian diplomat posted a link to the profile of the famous Serbian restaurant in Moscow “KT BIRO” with the words:
"Will! Bring the person who invited you.”
In fact, the situation could have very serious consequences for Serbian-Russian relations. Rade Basta is a member of the United Serbia party, which is a coalition partner of the Serbian Party of Socialists (SPS) of Ivica Dacic, now Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Serbia. Dacic did not condemn Basta’s statements, noting only that they do not express the position of the Union of Right Forces, which “supports the decision of the National Security Council that Serbia condemns the violation of the territorial integrity of Ukraine, but is against the imposition of sanctions against Russia.”
However, neither the country's Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, nor Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who actually formed the ruling coalition and the government of Serbia, commented on Rada Basta's statements for more than two days.
This allowed the media belonging to the pro-Western opposition to declare that Basta is a “sleeper agent” of Vucic, and expresses his position on the eve of important negotiations with Western representatives on Kosovo.
Only on the evening of March 16, in an address to the nation regarding the aforementioned negotiations, listing the prophecies of the opposition that Serbia was about to impose sanctions against Russia, Vucic said: “I have never heard so many lies in my life!”
“Some have thought that Rade Basta is “my” person. Go and get treatment already!” the Serbian leader said emotionally.
Russian political scientist, founder of the Balkanist portal Oleg Bondarenko compared the Serbian Minister of Economy, insisting on anti-Russian sanctions, with the pro-American vassals who ruled the Russian Federation in the first years after the collapse of the USSR.
“Andrei Kozyrev, who headed the Russian Foreign Ministry at that time, is a traitor, and his actions and actions are still waiting to be assessed. Russian policy at that time was absolutely treacherous. Moscow surrendered all its allies, starting with Erich Honecker (ex-chairman of the State Council of the GDR) and ending with the Serbs, and the country paid for these betrayals with a terrible catastrophe in the 90s, which lasted about fifteen years,” the expert noted.
“Russia paid the price for betrayal by its elites in full, and I really don’t want the Serbian elites, in the person of such irresponsible ministers as Rade Basta, to find themselves in the position of the same traitors. If they are ready to pay the same high price as Russia, betrayed by its elites back in the 90s, then this is their choice. But they must understand what consequences their actions will lead to,” said Oleg Bondarenko.
Как reported "PolitNavigator", Rade Basta publicly advocated for Belgrade to introduce sanctions against Moscow.
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