From the moment relations between the West and Russia became more harsh and started to resemble to the renewal of the Cold War, increased the pressures from both sides on Serbia to choose the side. The battle over the “South Stream” project and the crisis in Ukraine brought us in the center of the fight, where great powers have less patience for the Serbian “golden mean”.
Serbia will especially be in the middle of cross-fire of January 1, when it will take over the presidency over the OSCE.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday accused Russia that it has intention to make Western Balkan countries economically and politically dependent. Merkel told German media that Moscow is interfering in the internal affairs of certain countries, which wish to have closer relations with the EU.
Johanna Deimel, Deputy Director of the German Association for South East Europe, is convinced that Serbia, between Russia and the EU, “has already chosen the EU. “The EU is a priority for Serbia and that attitude has not changed. Serbia will adjust, and when it comes to the new situation about the gas pipeline “South Stream” the EU announced it will not leave Serbia behind closed doors,” said Deimel.
“South Stream” project was the topic of telephone talk between Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev. As announced by Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with the Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban “about prospects for energy cooperation.”
Putin, Nikolic and Orban “reviewed bilateral cooperation and further work in the energy sphere in the light of the suspension of the project “South Stream”, reads the news from Moscow, which officials from Nikolic’s cabinet did not want to explain.
Professor of International Relations at the Faculty of Political Sciences Predrag Simic said that “when Russia and the West play football, we are the ball they use.” “For Serbia, Russian influence means “South Stream”, and that is something the West cannot replace. Although the EU announced that it will help us, I do not know any way other than through Ukraine,” said Simic. Professor Simic added that Russia, by giving up the “South Stream”, is withdrawing from the Balkans, creating the “Asian triangle” with Turkey and China on the other side.
