“The report by the German Friedrich Naumann Foundation, which states that Serbia is the closest European ally of Russia and that President Aleksandar Vučić has met with the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, 17 times, is a sign that neither Germany nor the EU will tolerate Vučić’s propaganda any further,” says Aleksandar Olenik, a member of the Presidency of the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina, to Danas.
The Friedrich Naumann Foundation in Serbia notes in its report that the regime in Serbia is attempting to implement the policy of a “Serbian world” modeled on a similar “Russian world” project.
“This Greater Serbian programme was one of the causes of the bloody wars during the breakup of Yugoslavia,” the analysis states, adding that Serbia has not aligned its policies with the EU and has not imposed sanctions on Russia.
President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić has met with the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, 17 times. In 2019, Vučić received the Order of Alexander Nevsky in Moscow, an honour typically awarded to prominent Russian figures. This was described as one of the happiest moments of his political career, according to the analysis “Russia and the Pioneers of Autocracy: How the Kremlin Destabilizes Europe” by journalist and university professor Thomas Brey.
The analysis adds that pro-government media in Serbia are the primary carriers of Russian propaganda, portraying Russia in an exalted manner while literally demonizing the West. More importantly, as the analysis states, Serbian officials, particularly those in high-ranking positions, are at the forefront of spreading pro-Russian and anti-Western narratives. “This report signals that Germany, as the most important EU state, and the EU itself, will no longer tolerate Vučić’s propaganda that Serbia is on a European path while openly supporting Putin’s aggressive policies, despite the lithium deal with former Chancellor Scholz,” a League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina (LSV) official told Danas.
Olenik noted that the final position on this matter will be determined by the new German chancellor. “It also indicates that the corrupt network of Vučić’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) has grown so pervasive that it now threatens the very existence of our state,” he stated. Konstantin Samofalov, the international secretary of the Freedom and Justice Party (SSP), reminded that the Friedrich Naumann Foundation is linked to Germany’s liberals, who led the previous Berlin government.
“Therefore, I hope the strong positions expressed against the erosion of democracy, state institutions, media freedom, and basic human rights, as well as the usurpation of all levers of power by Vučić and the brutal election fraud, will translate into tangible policies by Germany’s FDP party,” said Samofalov.
According to him, the observations about the degradation of the state by a leader who boasts of loyalists akin to Mussolini’s party police are insufficient compared to turning a blind eye to all SNS’s wrongdoings for the sake of lithium and other lucrative benefits. “The SSP seeks Serbia’s integration into the EU, free from all forms of autocracy. But as long as support for a European and democratic Serbia exists only in analyses, we will fight for that freedom ourselves and eventually succeed,” Samofalov declared.
Ksenija Marković, the international secretary of the Democratic Party, noted that Vučić’s meetings with Putin are a continuation of the “four-pillar” foreign policy approach pursued since 2009 under President Tadić, and there is nothing new about it. Whether this policy is the best way for Serbia to achieve its national interests is another question.
“Vučić emphasizes his ties with Russia to satisfy his electorate’s preferences and increase his leverage for maintaining power with the West. On the other hand, while various EU reports frequently highlight Serbia’s relations with Russia, there are still no explicit messages from prominent EU officials stating that this policy is unacceptable and will no longer be tolerated,” Marković explained. In her view, as long as that remains the case, why wouldn’t Vučić continue meeting with Putin?
“However, I must also point out that since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Vučić has not met Putin in person but has met with Zelensky. Ultimately, I agree with the conclusions of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation’s report. Whether it is Orbán in Hungary, Fico in Slovakia, or Vučić in Serbia, the method of governance is the same: the seizure of the state and the destruction of institutions,” Marković concluded.
Vladimir Pajić, an MP from the Movement of Free Citizens (PSG), told Danas that the pro-Russian policies of the government have cost Serbian citizens dearly, as this cooperation has come at the expense of freedoms, rampant corruption, and the erosion of the country’s integrity. “The Movement of Free Citizens advocates for aligning foreign and security policies with the rest of Europe. Decisions are made at that table, and we need to be seated there to think about the future. The balancing policy pursued by Vučić is a policy of weakness, serving only his precarious hold on power and nothing else,” Pajić concluded.
(Danas, 09.01.2025)
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Publish date : 2025-01-09 01:45:00
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