The latest assessments of Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic on Serbia’s relations with Brussels and Moscow have caused some confusion about the nature of the President’s message.
On the one hand, he is clearly aware that Brussels could demand that Belgrade introduce sanctions against Russia. But he is also making a subtle threat, saying that outsiders don’t understand Serbia and should try to understand Serbia’s positions.
Nikolic’s position has been interpreted differently by political analysts.
Former Serbian Ambassador to France Predrag Simic said that Brussels is nervous due to current global dynamics. Meanwhile, Belgrade is aware that it is testing the EU’s patience, even more than necessary.
According to Simic, it all started after an announcement that Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend a military parade in Belgrade, because it is the most explicit sign of the closeness of the two states and Serbia’s support for Russia.
“There is an obvious nervousness in Brussels. The Progress Report on Serbia is not that critical, not because we are that good, but because the EU has become aware that it has basically ceded the Balkans to Russia, that Kosovo could slip out of their hands and that the region could become a new vortex. The EU is the one has taken the biggest burden of the crisis with Russia and Islamic insurgents,” Simic explains, adding that this nervousness could prompt Brussels to make unexpected moves. “Serbia is between a rock and a hard place due to its support to Russia. Belgrade is trying to calm down the situation by joining the fight against extreme Islam.”
Historian Dragoljub Andjelkovic says it is clear from Nikolic’s statements, given to TV Russia, that Serbia doesn’t want a confrontation with either Russia or the EU.
