Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during the visit of Serbian Police Minister Aleksandar Vulin to Moscow revealed that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić regularly speak on the phone and coordinate their steps. According to the interviewees of the Nova.rs portal, this is a message addressed to the European Union, the Russian public, and Vučić himself. In the mafia style – “don’t dodge too much”.
In a conversation with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Vulin stated that “Serbia led by President Aleksandar Vučić does not forget centuries-old brotherhood”, while he also pointed out that Serbia is the only country in Europe that did not impose sanctions on Russia and “did not become part of the anti-Russian hysteria”.
Lavrov, on the other hand, said that the dialogue between Serbia and Russia is gradually developing at all levels, regardless of the complex international situation.
He also revealed that Presidents Aleksandar Vučić and Vladimir Putin are on the phone “comparing their positions and coordinating the further steps”.
Commenting on his non-arrival in Belgrade in June, the Russian minister said that those who prevented him by the orders of their bosses must understand that their “mischief” cannot shake Russian-Serbian relations, which are based on the firm friendship of the two peoples, underlined Lavrov.
Member of the European Parliament Klemen Grošelj told Nova.rs that if it is true that Vučić and Putin meet regularly and coordinate their steps, it means that Serbia will follow the steps of Turkey which implies being a candidate for EU membership for decades, but never becoming a member state.
“Nevertheless, I think it is not in the interest of your country. The official Serbian policy irritates the Western countries, which will eventually, like it or not, decide what the status of Kosovo will be and what the situation will be in the Western Balkans. This is a very clear message that was sent from Washington and Brussels,” emphasized Grošelj .
Director of the Center for Practical Policies Dragan Popović, on the other hand, believes that Lavrov sent a double message.
“Partly, it is intended for the Russian audience, because Putin practically has no allies, which is not pleasant. If we do not count Alexander Lukashenko, Aleksandar Vučić is the only leader with whom Putin has this kind of communication. On the other hand, Sergey Lavrov’s words were also addressed to the Serbian president, in that mafia style “don’t dodge too much”. Yet, I have to say that the EU is not putting too much pressure on Vučić, so he has a lot of space for maneuver for this kind of blackmail from Moscow”, concludes Popović.
Source: Lavrov poslao neprijatnu poruku Vučiću (nova.rs)
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