Trajkovic: Serbs want Russia only in crisis

Momcilo Trajkovic, former communist leader of Serbs in Kosovo, has spoken about Russia's influence on Serbs, underlining that “Serbs love Russians only in crisis situations”.

Trajkovic, who had had had a heated debate at Pristina Airport in 1999 with US congressmen over the crackdown on Albanians, now says that “Serbian people, despite authoritarian politics in Belgrade, have democratic potential”. While the blame for “foreign influence”, as he calls it, I place it to political elites in the Western Balkans.

All political elites in the Western Balkans are not yet ready to think strategically and find the way out where all the people living on these lands are. Such policies are subject to foreign influence. It has American interest and American influence. And, of course, there are Russian interests and Russian influence. And we can know what's Russian interest and who's supporting it and what's American interest and who supports it. We need to understand that because this is where the interests of the great powers --” -- said Trajkovic.

Trajkovic has said Serbia's current policy is trying to play Tito's role, as a neutral country, which, according to him, is impossible.

Serbia, which is disappointed by the conduct of the West after all the wars that took place in the Balkans, thinks that American and Western politics has advanced, and seeks to find ways where it can be in the East. This is Russia, China, respectively. Today we have these positions defined. Besides, Serbia is trying to play a game which has once been played here, the so-called policies of the uncoordinated, which Tito has led in his time. However, this policy here cannot succeed. Why? Because when Tito founded that policy of then-Yugoslav beings, conditions and environments, historical circumstances have been completely different”, he followed.

Serbian politician from Kosovo has stressed that foreign influence is measured by the capital invested in the current country.

In the Balkans, the American influence is the largest. I think Western interests are greater and the effects are greater. First of all, because there is American capital here, respectively. In Serbia, as much as Western capital is installed, has Western influence. While in Kosovo, Albania, even in Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, that interest or influence is much greater than the West. Besides, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, in a miniplane, there are larger interest matches between the West and Russia”, Trajkovic said.

Momcilo Trajkovic thinks the Russian influence on Kosovo Serbs does not feel at all.

I'll tell you very frankly, I don't feel any Russian influence here. Russian influence here is measured by how much I love Russia. That's all the impact. The direct impact, or say, the daily insistence that that interest be known, does not exist here. In a word, this thing is as clear as clear. Serbs, due to the situation they were in, which has been the same throughout history; due to the injustice thought to have been done to Serbia, it has sought the defender in the East. And he tries to compromise between Western and Eastern interests. And that is why we said that compromise should be made here and not become neutral policy. In fact, it is impossible because Serbia is too small to make neutral policy, in order not to be affected. And so it comes to American interests as well, to influence American politics, and in a way to ease American politics and interests, first of all, on the issue of Kosovo, which is the most sensitive issue in the Balkans, and behind which the American interest is”, he followed.

In the interview, he says the Serbian people love Vladimir Putin more than Aleksandar Vuciqi.

The Serbian people rely heavily on Russia. Putin's recent visit to Belgrade is the best indicator than, Putin has greater popularity than Vuciqi does. That's very informative. There are historical circumstances. Let's say, there's a closeness between the Russian and Serbian people. Serbs are often said to be the small Russians in the Balkans, which is not true. Only that Russia during history has sided with Serbia. And, he has never left Serbs except in 1999, when Jelcin, as Serbian politics says, has betrayed Serbs. He's always had relationships. They're Slavic peoples. If you are hostile to any people, then whomever you have a treaty. Of course with the brothers. We are Slavic peoples. Only Serbia has the potential to change all reports in the Balkans. Because there is good democratic potential, which today is obsessed with authoritarian politics. It means, the Serbian people are a demographic people. It has great democratic potential. He told this story. That potential should wake up. Conditions must be created for him to come in first. And thus open up some new processes throughout the Balkans. Otherwise, when we talk about the region, the main problem is Serbs' relations with other peoples. The Serbian issue has not been chosen in Bosnia. Now all at once, from what was the most threatened issue -- that is, the Albanian issue, which is the process of stabilising the Albanian national issue, on the other hand, the deintegration of the Serbian national issue occurs. One matter cannot be resolved and the other not resolved. Therefore, all at once, as many say in the Balkans, we have made compromises, but in major national concepts. By peace, if the great Albanian national concept was resolved, the great Serbian national concept, the great Croatian national and Bulgarian concept. All these little ones suffer. Hence, the world will not allow that. That doesn't mean neither is the” solution, Trajkovic said.

“has no Russian influence on the media. I have neighbouring journalist Budimir Niciq, author of Slobodno Srpske. Who can influence him? He has his editorial policy. Works for America's “Zer” He's a reporter for the Voice of America. Your urge to find the Russian influence in Kosovo and beyond is very wrong. I will honestly say, except that in moments of crisis, when thought globally, when something bad happens to the Serbian people, it is thought Russia will be saved. This is about influence. In all, in everyday life, there is no Russian influence, because Serbs don't think so. In crisis situations, however, when something happens when the West and the Kosovo Albanians do not do enough, and because of the inability of Serbian politics, they see Russia as salvation. So in the media, since I know those media, for example in northern Kosovo, all those media are funded by the West. I've been leading Radio Ana. Down here, where we are. We didn't get money from anybody. And we interrupted, they had no propaganda. Here the Russians do not finance Serbian media. So if they do not finance them, they have no influence. Besides, any Serbian homesickness for getting out of a dead end. That way, everyone should offer it to their seats. The Albanian elite is responsible here. In Bosnia three elites are responsible. There are both Macedonian and Albanian elites in Macedonia, because they have great influence on each other. In Kosovo, where we Serbs are a waterdrop, which does not count for processes that are negative, both for Serbs and even Albanians... in that sense has no impact. Nobody gives to Serbs, nor to Serbia. If Serbia were to give to Serbs, no one would talk about Russia. Once again, there's no influence on the media, because Russia doesn't finance any media here. If you find out that someone gets money from the Russian government... Look at you Russian Liaison Office in Pristina... That office has more communication with Albanians than with Serbs. I know Lavrov personally. I've met him three times. Once again at the UN Security Council. I was in Moscow too. Three hours I talked to Igor Ivanov, along with Artemis in 2000. Three hours we talked. We could've talked more. But we had nothing more than to talk about. What about it? You give me the guns so we can go back? That's not what we wanted. So, I mean, looking for Russian influence is a waste of time. Not only in the media, but in the Serbian people as well. Serbs love Russians. Most of the time, they want them in crisis situations, when they are not protected by the international community, when they are not protected by the Government of Kosovo, and when there is no response to Serbian politics. Only in that case is homesickness for the Russians. Not like someone's wanting to come through Ukraine, through Bulgaria here and to... We're smart enough. We're not crazy. We can discuss what history is, what the Russians are and what the Americans are, but this issue here we can solve”, Trajkovic said.

Regarding a video on his Facebook, where he praises the Russian pilot's skills, he has admitted to being deceived and falling prey to Russian propaganda, saying that video is not of a Russian pilot, but of a video game.

I've seen this. So... I don't have much to deal with... Someone says it's mounted, or what's it say with this modern language, with a termology? That's not true! After all, though, we must admit that Russian aviation, Russian aircraft, Russian pilots, are better off with Americans. That video shows nothing but acrobson and arrhythming. Is it a real landing... there's a... no connection to what it's called... dam. This, of course, on the computer ... yes, computer game was... ”, he said.

On the other hand, our conversationor does not agree that there are media propaganda. However, it acknowledges, propaganda could be calculated to buy Russian weapons from Serbia.

It has no impact, much less influence here. No. The impact is through the purchase of weapons in Serbia from Russia and Belarus. This too can be propaganda. Where does Kosovo get weapons? Where does Croatia get it from? Even Croatia takes part of Russian weapons. What's this all about? So, it's not good... there's no reason to ask for any evidence that the Russians here are disturbing the Serbs and in their name do something. No, it's neither strategy nor politics, as much as possible. Except to some fool, which, thank God, is a small number of them speaking what they say. They have the right to speak. But, in general, strategically, no. And how many secret services are there in Kosovo? Every country, there's a secret military and civilian service here. This I have felt here in Kosovo, a time when I have dealt with politics. That's what people say openly. They show who they are. They're looking for formations in what way they help you. In essence, despite NATO having a unique defence policy, they have extraordinary competition among themselves as to which service is the best. When the Russian army, the Russian contingent, was in Kosovo, even then the Russian influence policy has not felt. Because the people have seen that they are incapable of doing something. This is an illusion. Open I say illusion. But, I mean, if there's no protection from this power we live in, or that power somewhere like in Bosnia where they live, or in other places, for example. In Macedonia, if that power doesn't protect its people, its citizen, then members of different nationalities, in the “fingernails, returns to itself”. We Serbs, like Slav, go back to Russia”, Trajkovic said.