British expert: Serbia is preparing the Russian “recerte” to present Serbs in Kosovo as endangered

So British analyst Daniel Smith points out, adding that Serbian President Aleksandar Vuciq is constantly serving Russia's interests in the Balkans.

“Reporting with Kosovo, we are increasingly seeing a Serbian narrator adapted to the Russian Rzereceta, where the Serb minority living in Kosovo is represented as endangered populations or repeating the need for protection. Russia claims it is doing the same with the Russian-speaking population in eastern Ukraine”, Smith points out for Al Jazeera.

According to him, Vuciq's so-called neutral policy is more pro-Russian than anything else.

With his pro-Russian policy, Vuciq consistently served Russia's interests in the Balkans. In many cases, he served Russia's interests more than the Serbian people. His so-called neutral policy is more pro-Russian than anything else. How else can we call it the president of an EU candidate country, Vuciq, but a useful cydiode” that allows itself to be exploited by a dictator and war criminal like Vladimir Putin? Or they both have a lot in common”, he asked.

Smith says preventing Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's arrival in Serbia from neighbouring countries has preserved the dignity of the Serbian people and not being guarded by their own state. He adds that canceling this visit is a good signal for the region.

“The annulment of Lavrov's visit is a good signal for the region, primarily because war crimes disbeliever in Ukraine, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo has been prevented from increasing further tensions by visiting Belgrade. Second, the deadlock of airspace, for Lavrov's flight, testifies to the importance of membership of all Western Balkan countries in NATO for their security and the region at large”, Smith says.

“The authenticity of Serbian leaders to wait for Lavrov at a time when European and world leaders are expecting Ukrainian leaders is an additional proof that Serbia is actively supporting Russia and that it is time for the EU to seriously review Serbia's status as a candidate country. In this case, neighbouring states have preserved the dignity of citizens of Serbia, which unfortunately has not been preserved by their own state”, he adds.

British expert claims that through propaganda and the Orthodox Church, Kremlin is trying to boost interethnic tensions in the region.

“Spreading propaganda and pro-Russian narativa, Kremlin is trying to increase interethnic tensions in the Balkans and especially in Bosnia and Herzegovina. With that, Russia is taking advantage of the rise of Serbian nationalism and support by the Serbian Orthodox Church. Also, some research by media and institutes in the Balkans has shown cases of Russian intelligence interventions in violating the national security of Balkan countries”, he claims.

In the end, Smith says the Russian ambassador's speech to the Republika Srpska Assembly was a bad message for Balkan security and that Igor Calabuhov should be declared non-grata people and expelled from the country.

“The speech of the Russian ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Igor Calabuhov, in the Republika Srpska Assembly, was a bad message for the country's security and stability, but also for the Balkans, both symbolicly and in content terms. An ambassador who openly threatens Bosnia and Herzegovina that, following its European path poses a threat to national security, should at least be declared persona non grata and expelled from the country”, Smith concludes. / KP