Serbia is the stage for a proxy war between East and West, President Aleksandar Vucic said for Reuters on Monday, as Belgrade seeks to maintain a delicate balancing act between its ambition to join the European Union and its ties with Russia and China.
“Serbia is in specific situation, through political actors, through the bilateral non-governmental sector, through the media, through different social groups, you literally have a proxy war of great powers in Serbia, and one can see it on the streets every day, in every sense,” said Vucic.
Vucic had an interview for Reuters a day after protesters at a rally in Belgrade against a gay pride march waved Russian flags and carried posters of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin.
“I cannot say that it the protest was a proxy attack because there were many ordinary people there…but whether there is a proxy conflict in Serbia…there is one, no doubt about that, East and West,” he said, speaking to Reuters at his office in Belgrade.
When asked if rally was a reflection of anti-Western sentiment, he states that it is partly so.
“First of all, a lot of energy was invested in making a big topic out of nothing, because it is the easiest, most receptive to ordinary people, in order to additionally do something against the West. On the other hand, the West does not understand and does not want to understand that the people listen every day – you have to do this for Kosovo, you have to let this to be organized, then you have to do that, otherwise we will not open that cluster for you because you are not ready yet for us. This causes a resistance among people, and no one in the West will hear and understand that,” said Vučić.
Serbia is a candidate to join the European Union, its single biggest trade partner and investor. It is militarily neutral but maintains ties with NATO and has purchased weapons from its member states.
However the Serbia is almost entirely dependent on Russian gas and has also bought weapons from Russia. China is a major investor, mainly in mining and infrastructure- pointed out Reuters.
Although Serbia has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the United Nations, it refused to join sanctions against Moscow. Both Beijing and Moscow support Serbia’s opposition to the independence of Kosovo.
“We are trying to survive … with as few wounds and scars as possible,” said Vucic.
Vucic said he did not believe authorities in Pristina wanted “a serious conversation or a serious dialogue” but that they believed they could impose their plans with support from the West.
“I trust that those countries which are…protecting the so-called independence of Kosovo…will convince the Pristina regime not to play (with) a conflict in the region which is certainly full of problems,” he said.
The Serbian president said that more dialogues and shuttle diplomacy by EU and U.S. envoys aimed at resolving the car number plates issue are expected in the coming weeks.