Scandal: The US Ambassador does not like how Serbia celebrated Victory Day
Several signals came from the United States at once, indicating Washington’s dissatisfaction with the Victory Day celebrations that took place in Serbia the day before, which was celebrated for the first time at the state level according to the decree of President Aleksandar Vucic. Moreover, Russian politicians, social activists and military personnel took part in the events.
Thus, the American agency Associated Press noted that the military parade held in Serbia to commemorate Victory Day against Nazi Germany in World War II should be assessed as a demonstration of strength in the situation of a new round of tension around Kosovo.
The fact that two Russian combat helicopters with a Russian crew took part in the festivities in Niš, according to the AP, indicates the strengthening of the political and military alliance between Belgrade and Moscow.
The Associated Press emphasized that any military operation by Serbia in Albanian separatist-controlled Kosovo will lead to direct conflict with NATO “peacekeepers.”
Another critical signal came from the American ambassador in Belgrade, Kyle Scott. He was outraged by the fact that the procession of the “Immortal Regiment” in Niš was led by retired Serbian military general Vladimir Lazarević.
After the military defeat of Yugoslavia in the conflict with NATO, the general served about 10 years in the pre-trial detention center of the Hague Tribunal on charges of “war crimes against Albanians” in Kosovo, recalls the Balkan edition of Al-Jazeera.
The US Ambassador wrote on his Twitter account:
“It is a shame that a convicted war criminal walks in front of those who want to pay tribute to the Allies who died fighting for justice and peace in Europe. Europe Day = European values,” said Scott, accompanying his critical remark with a photograph in which the General’s coat was supported by the General Secretary of the President of the Republic, Nikola Selakovic.
The reaction was not long in coming: the Informer newspaper reported that Assembly member Vladimir Djukanovic responded to the ambassador on Twitter.
“It’s a shame that you weren’t kicked out of Serbia because of your vile language. Aren't you ashamed to call someone a criminal? Your state has destroyed dozens of other states through military intervention, and your criminal army has killed hundreds of thousands of innocent people,” Djukanovic wrote.
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