The Ambassador of the United States of America in Belgrade, Christopher Hill, told in an interview for N1 that he doesn’t see much evidence that Russia is “any kind of friend” to Serbia. “Russia is asking Serbia to do things that are in Russia’s interest, and frankly speaking I’m not sure that it’s really in Serbia’s interest,” Hill said in an interview with N1.
When asked how the situation with the war in Ukraine affects the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, as well as Serbian politics in general, he said that Russian President Vladimir Putin “took his country over the edge, and USA doesn’t know when Russia will come back”.
“And that’s why I’m surprised when I see that some people think that Russia is still a legitimate actor on the political stage, which it is not. And I think it’s a terrible situation and maybe another big tragedy, in addition to what we’re seeing in Ukraine,” he said.
Asked to comment on Minister of Interior Aleksandar Vulin’s visit to Moscow, Hill said he did not understand it and found it quite confusing. “I don’t understand what he was trying to achieve there. And, honestly, maybe he doesn’t understand either,” Ambassador Hill said.
Speaking about Serbia’s position regarding sanctions against Russia, he said that his government’s position is that Serbia should “join to share the burden as it is taken by many other EU members.” “I would like Serbia to do that, but I understand that it is a problem for many Serbians, because they would like to see that the European Union is really serious about your admission,” he said.
Hill stated that he understands the frustration, but that he believes that Serbia needs to understand where it wants to be in a few years, as well as that it needs to understand who its friends are, and for whom the same cannot be said.
Asked about the meeting he had with Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić and the situation in Kosovo, he repeated that the Serbian side “made a big deal by coming to Brussels ready to negotiate and by doing its homework, and that is always the most important thing for all negotiations.”
“I think the Serbian side tried to be flexible, to find solutions, and this morning’s conversation (with Vučić) confirmed that to me,” Hill said. According to him, it is “obvious” that the results of the negotiations in Brussels are a disappointment, but he believes that the process will continue, as indicated by the arrival of representatives of the EU and the USA, Miroslav Lajcak and Gabriel Escobar in the region. Asked what “went wrong” during the last meeting between Vucic and Kurti in Brussels, he said that the Serbian side “was in its place, it knew what it needed to discuss, it knew what was important.” “But I think that the other side, unfortunately, was not ready for a concrete conversation,” said the ambassador. To solve these problems, as Hill said, it is necessary to talk about concrete things, but you also have to put those things in a wider context, and the wider context is the issue of the Serbian community and how it will live in the future. “That is crucial for me, the Serbian community in Kosovo must feel at home and be safe. That is why certain efforts are being made to discuss it, and I think it will continue,” he said.
“If people start ignoring the media, they will listen to much worse things”
Hill said that there is a phenomenon of fake news in Serbia, as it is everywhere, and that it is easy to find them, but they have nothing to do with information. On the other hand, there must be a media that is inclusive and broad, that people like and from which they get information, a media from which people should get their news, and not from some strange sources, which are often completely contrary to the truth, he added. Hill said that he considers N1 “a very valuable source of news for the Serbian people”. When asked if he expects something to change in the attitude of the next Government of Serbia towards the media, freedom of speech and attitude towards journalists and non-governmental organizations, he said that the new parliament with different parties is a suitable place for a debate on this matter. He expressed his belief that the “long arc of history” is bending towards more open and free media. “Whether you are in the parliament or the government, I think people need to understand something: if there is frustration with the media and what the media produces, if the Serbian people end up ignoring the media, then they will start listening to much worse things,” he said. Hill.
Source: Kristofer Hil za N1: Ne vidim dokaze da je Rusija prijatelj Srbije (n1info.com)