Serbia confrontations with West, because of Kosovo

That question arises after the president and prime minister of this EU membership candidate country strongly criticised the German ambassador in Kosovo for his positions on barricades in northern Kosovo and on Serbia's request to return a number of soldiers to Kosovo.

In northern Kosovo, populated mainly by Serbs, citizens' groups have been blocking roads for two weeks now, due to the arrest of a former member of the Kosovo Police with Serbian nationalism. Dejan Pantic is suspected of participating in an attack against Central Election and Police Commission officials in northern Kosovo.

Naim Leo Beshiri, from the nongovernmental Institute for European Affairs, says “Serbia is now in a unique position to work, along with Belarus, directly against the European Union”.

And the question is, when can it come to a draconian twist when it comes to Euro-integration”, Beshiri tells Radio Free Europe.

What did the German ambassador say?

In an interview for Kosovo television, KTV, German Ambassador to Kosovo Jorn Rohde, has said Serbia's request to the NATO mission in Kosovo, KFOR, to send 1,000 soldiers to northern Kosovo, is “abour and unacceptable” for Germany.

For us, like Germany, and for all those states that have recognised independent Kosovo, it is unthinkable that in an independent state we will do something against the desire of the independent state. Therefore, we consider that request unacceptable”, Rohde said on December 19th.

On 15 December, the Government of Serbia has sent an electronic request to KFOR for the return of “to 1,000-x1> to members of police and its military in Kosovo.

In the interview, Rohde has also said that citizens in northern Kosovo are suffering from barricades, due to closing border points with Serbia and schools. He has said the blockades must be removed before Christmas.

“We need dialogue, not confrontation. Those responsible for the barricades should think they're damaging their population”, Rohde said.

Reactions in Serbia

This interview has triggered violent reactions in Serbia.

President Aleksandar Vuciq has posted a video on his official account in Instagram, on December 21st, where, among other things, he has said Serbia is facing a huge <x0-whatnotic coming from abroad, from some Western powers to”, and has criticised the German ambassador to Pristina that has rejected Belgrade's call for sending 1,000 soldiers to northern Kosovo.

“It is not absurd to have Albanian, Croatian, German troops in Serbian holy land, but it is absurd to have Serb troops. And we should say: You're right, forgive us, just don't take us down. Well, take whoever you want out of power, do whatever you want, say Vuchic.

A day earlier, Vuciq from Azerbaijan, where he has been staying for official visit, has said the German ambassador's statement is <x0 dangerous “and that it represents “threats to the Serbian people”. He has said Rohde “is known for anti-Serb positions”.

“Germani dominating fully in the Balkans”, Vuciq said of private Serbian television, Pink.

Neither has Serbia's Prime Minister Anna Brnabyq spared words. In a Twitter post, she has said that Rohde's statements -- if “has not been misinterpreted or if there has not been a slight blow before the interview” -- are “extremely disturbing”, because it is strongly threatening Serbs.

The very scandalous statement from the German ambassador to so many levels. First of all, you've stated that the barricades should be removed and, even, dare give or submit deadlines (by Christmas). By the way, ambassador, explain: Your Christmas or ours? As soon as we know”, he wrote, among other things, Bernabiq.

Serbia's departure from EU

Naim Leo Beshiri, from Belgrade's Belgrade-based Institute for European Affairs, says the harsh rhetoric of Serbia's top officials to Western countries may be an indication that the most powerful countries are slowly turning their backs on Vuciqi, which they supported when it came to power in 2012.

Beshiri recalls that Vuciki's Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) has gained power a decade ago, with promises that it will implement social reforms needed for Serbia's entry into the EU, and will be cooperative in finding a permanent solution between Serbia and Kosovo.

Normalising relations is a condition for both Serbia and Kosovo to advance towards European integration.

This could bring Western partners into a position to actually review the situation and see that reformed Vuciq, who has claimed to be a European man, is far from that, and in fact, it's the same little radical that we remember from the years "90x1>, says Besir.

Serbia's current president, during the years of 1990s through 2008, has been secretary-general of Serbia's ultranationalist Radical Party, which Vojislav Seshel has led. It has been sentenced by the International Tribunal in The Hague to ten years in prison for persecution, deportations and other inhumane acts against Croats in Vojvodina.

Beshiri believes the ruling majority in Serbia is returning rhetoric from the time of former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic.

The consequences of such a policy were to be seen in the years dealt with in the 90x1>, Beshiri says.

According to him, the lack of serious reforms in the judiciary, which would ensure the independent functioning of the prosecution and courts, shows Serbia is stuck on the road to the EU.

Over the past five years, we have had almost no reform in the area of rule of law, in fighting corruption and organised crime”, Beshiri estimates.

According to him, a no less important aspect is Serbia's non-compliance with European Union foreign policy in terms of sanctions against Russia.

Serbia, along with Turkey, is the only candidate country for EU membership that has not joined sanctions against Russia, as this country has begun its invasion of Ukraine on 24 February.

For this reason, Serbia is the target of criticism by official Brussels now and a month.

That this approach could harm him, it also shows the proposal that has emerged in the Netherlands House of Representatives ʹ EU member state for the temporary deployment of visas for Serbia.

The vote on this proposal, for the time being, has been postponed at the request of the Dutch foreign minister.

Besir believes Serbia will find it very difficult to open the chapter on foreign and security policy, within the framework of EU membership negotiations, as it is acting against EU interests.

The “could have a suspension of negotiations with Serbia, which may also mean setting up visas and lowering direct investments in Serbia”, Beshiri says.

So far, Serbia has opened 22 of the 35 negotiating chapters for EU membership.

According to data from the People's Bank of Serbia, companies from the EU are the biggest investors in Serbia.

In the previous decade, investments from the EU have made up 63 percent of all foreign direct investments.

The European Union is Serbia's biggest foreign trade partner.

The total value of trade between Serbia and the EU in 2021, according to European delegation data in Serbia, has been more than 30 billion euros and has for many times exceeded Serbia's trade with Russia and China. / REL