The Serbian official assures the Russian president: Belgrade is an ally that will not join the Western sanctions

2024-09-04 14:29:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The Serbian official assures the Russian president: Belgrade is an ally that

Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday that the Balkan country is an ally of Russia that will never impose sanctions against Moscow or join NATO, while complaining about Western pressure and the situation in Kosovo and in Bosnia.

The comments by Aleksandar Vulin, the former head of the Serbian Secret Service who is under US sanctions, reflect the continued close relationship between Belgrade and Moscow, despite Serbia's stated intentions to join the European Union.

"It is a great honor for me to have the privilege to speak with you," he told President Putin. "Please believe me when I say that it is a great encouragement for all Serbs, wherever they live."

Serbia has refused to join Western sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine even as it has condemned Moscow's aggression. President Aleksandar Vucic has said that imposing sanctions is not in the national interest of Serbia.

"Serbia is not only a strategic partner of Russia, Serbia is also an ally of Russia," said Vulin. "That is why the West's pressure on us is great."

Vulin's meeting with President Putin in Russia's far eastern city of Vladivostok came shortly after French President Emmanuel Macron visited Serbia during which Belgrade signed a deal to buy French Rafale military jets, a move seen as a potential departure from Moscow.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also visited Belgrade earlier for the signing of an EU agreement with Serbia on raw materials needed in the green transition.

The meeting took place within an economic forum designed to attract foreign investments. Greeting Vulin, President Putin expressed hope that the Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia will be able to "closely look at and evaluate the possibilities of cooperation with such a large and promising region" as the Russian Far East.

The Serbian official assured President Putin that Serbia's close ties with Russia will continue in the future.

"A Serbia led by Aleksandar Vu?i? is a Serbia that will never become a member of NATO, that will never impose sanctions against the Russian Federation and that will never allow its territory to be used for any action anti-Russian," he said.

"Serbia has not become and will not become part of the anti-Russian hysteria," said Vulin, who complained about the situation in Kosovo and Bosnia. He said that Pristina is trying to "change the situation on the ground, violate Resolution 1244 of the UN Security Council and carry out ethnic cleansing of Serbs". The Serbian official accused the European Union of not implementing the Brussels agreements for the normalization of relations with Kosovo, underlining, as he said, the failure of the EU "to implement its decision on the establishment of the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority".

He said that the Republika Srpska in Bosnia is a "source of concern" since, according to him, "there is pressure to devalue" the Serbian entity and to destroy the Dayton Agreement, which ended the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia.

"This is not possible if you want peace and stability," he said, thanking Russia for its stance against the UN General Assembly Resolution on the Srebrenica genocide.

The United States sanctioned Aleksandar Vulin in July 2023, accusing him of involvement in arms trafficking, narcotics and abuse of public office and helping to extend Russia's influence in the Balkan region.

Vulini has received two medals of honor from Russia.

US sanctions against individuals and companies in the Balkans are designed to counter efforts to undermine peace and stability in the volatile region and Russia's "malign" influence.

The West has stepped up efforts to draw the troubled region into its fold, fearing that Russia could foment unrest to divert attention from the war in Ukraine. The Balkans experienced numerous wars in the 1990s and tensions continue to be high./ Voa