"Ally and friend": what Putin and Vucic intend to discuss in Sochi

On Thursday, November 25, talks will take place in Sochi between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Serbian leader Alexander Vucic.

A wide range of issues of bilateral cooperation will be discussed at the meeting.

On the eve of the summit, in an interview with reporters, the press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov called the Serbian guest "an ally and friend" of Moscow. 

“Our bilateral relations are of a special nature.

They are quite voluminous from the point of view of points of mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation and interaction - both trade and economic, and investment, and others.

All this will, of course, be on the agenda, ”Peskov explained.

"

We must agree

"

According to the Kremlin, one of the key issues will be the situation with energy resources, which is extremely acute for the whole of Europe.

Recall that in recent weeks, the price of gas has grown significantly on the EU stock exchanges.

Now the cost of December futures exceeds $ 1,000 per cubic meter.

In such conditions, Moscow offers European states to switch to cooperation on long-term contracts, which are less susceptible to fluctuations in exchange prices.

However, at the moment, Moscow's proposal does not find a response in Western Europe.

The situation is different in southeastern Europe.

At the end of September, Gazprom and the Hungarian MVM CEEnergy Ltd.

signed two long-term contracts for the annual supply of 4.5 billion cubic meters of blue fuel over 15 years.

On October 1, Hungary began receiving gas through the Turkish Stream infrastructure and through pipelines from neighboring countries, including Serbia. 

In early October, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Yuri Borisov, at a meeting of the Russian-Serbian Intergovernmental Committee on Trade, Economic, Scientific and Technical Cooperation, expressed his hope for concluding a long-term gas supply agreement with Belgrade by the end of 2021.

“You have completed your part of the Turkish Stream (Balkan Stream. -

), now Serbia has practically ensured its energy security in terms of the consumption of an important hydrocarbon product - gas - in the right amount, in the right amount, and the fact that you have become practically a gas transit country - that's very good.

And I hope that by the end of the year Gazprom will conclude an agreement on favorable terms, and I hope a long-term agreement for the supply of gas to Serbia, ”Borisov said.

In the first half of November on the air of Solovjov Live, Vucic said that at the moment the key issue for Serbia is the gas situation.

He recalled that Belgrade has never interfered with the implementation of projects that are beneficial for Moscow in this area.  

“We have built a gas pipeline (length -

) 400 km through our country together with Gazprom.

And today this gas is already flowing through the pipeline.

We are ready to further expand interconnectors (infrastructure facilities for pumping blue fuel. -

) in the region of this gas pipeline (Balkan Stream. -

), "Vucic said.

• Residence of the President of Serbia

• © Oop / Wikipedia

According to the Serbian leader, Belgrade is in dire need of increasing Russian gas imports.

Vucic expressed the hope that Vladimir Putin "will understand us both on the price and volume of gas supplies."

“We must agree on large volumes of gas supplies, since our economy is growing the fastest in Europe.

And in accordance with this, I look forward to meeting with Putin with great hope ... We have one saying in Serbian: “I’m barely alive until this meeting is over” - this meeting is so important for us, ”the President of Serbia emphasized.

Later, the Kremlin noted that the gas issue is likely to be on the agenda of the Sochi talks.

“As for gas, yes, we have heard many times statements by Mr. Vucic that this issue will be raised, and it can be assumed that, of course, it will also be discussed,” Dmitry Peskov told reporters on November 24.

As Pavel Kandel, a leading researcher at the Institute of Europe of the Russian Academy of Sciences, explained in an interview with RT, in the context of the pan-European energy crisis, the gas issue is "vital" for Serbia.

According to the expert, Belgrade seeks to conclude a long-term contract for the import of Russian blue fuel.

Otherwise, according to Kandel, Serbia, like the rest of Europe, runs the risk of having to cut off electricity and heating due to gas shortages. 

“Belgrade is unprofitable for spot deals on which gas is purchased in Europe.

Naturally, Vucic is counting on a modest price for 1,000 cubic meters, but what the outcome of the negotiations will be is difficult to predict.

In any case, Russia is de facto the uncontested assistant of Belgrade in resolving the gas issue, ”says Kandel.

"Invaluable help"

Also in an interview with Solovyov Live, Vucic said that he was worried about the situation in the Western Balkans and the current state of relations between Belgrade and Pristina.

As a reminder, at the end of September, Kosovo security forces occupied the Yarine and Brnjak checkpoints on the administrative border of the partially recognized Republic of Kosovo and Serbia and began to forcibly remove the license plate from Serbian cars.

In response, the local Serb population blocked border crossings with trucks.

The Kosovars tried to lift the blockade by violent means.

As a result, several protesters were seriously injured.

Vucic ordered to pull troops to the administrative border, including T-72 tanks.

MiG-29 fighters and Mi-35 helicopters were taken into the sky.

• NATO-led international force on the Serbia-Kosovo demarcation line

• AP

• © Visar Kryeziu

On September 26, accompanied by the Minister of Defense of Serbia Nebojsa Stefanovic, the Russian Ambassador to Belgrade Alexander Botan-Kharchenko and the military attaché Major General Alexander Zinchenko got acquainted with the situation on the administrative border with Kosovo.

Vucic thanked Moscow for its support, and later, in negotiations with Pristina, an agreement was reached on de-escalation, which prohibited the forcible removal of Serbian license plates.

In an interview with RT, Pavel Feldman, deputy director of the Institute for Strategic Studies and Forecasts, said that the incident on the administrative border with Kosovo once again confirmed the importance of political and military-technical support to Serbia from Moscow. 

“In my opinion, Russia is providing Belgrade with invaluable diplomatic and military-technical assistance.

Serbia is interested in further supplies of Russian military equipment.

And we see that Moscow is transferring aircraft, tanks and armored vehicles to it, that is, it is strengthening the military potential of its partner, ”Feldman said.

In mid-November, during an inspection of an arms exhibition in honor of Ground Forces Day, Vucic thanked Moscow for military-technical assistance.

Earlier, the Russian Federation transferred to Serbia 30 T-72MS tanks, several dozen armored vehicles, six MiG-29 fighters, four Mi-35M helicopters, three Mi-17V-5 rotary-wing transport vehicles, and Pantsir-C1 anti-aircraft missile and cannon systems.

“We got it from the Russians.

(Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation. -

) Sergei Shoigu recently transferred this equipment to us (T-72MS tanks. -

), the transfer took place in Nis.

And really thanks to our Russian friends, ”TASS quoted Vucic as saying.

According to Feldman, Belgrade sees Russia as a support for the implementation of its plans to concentrate military and political resources to resist Western pressure.

In this context, in addition to military-technical cooperation, Moscow's position in the UN Security Council is of great importance for Belgrade.

According to the expert, the Russian Federation will block any resolutions that run counter to the national interests of Serbia.

• Kremlin

• RIA News

• © Alexey Danichev

“Belgrade is interested in Russia as a guarantor that there will be no gross political interference in internal affairs from the leading Western countries, mainly the United States.

In my opinion, Washington has far-reaching plans to dismantle the Serbian political system and change the country's leadership to more loyal figures, ”says Feldman.

In turn, Pavel Kandel drew attention to the fact that Vucic's visit to Sochi will take place on the eve of the presidential and parliamentary elections in Serbia scheduled for spring 2022.

Back in October last year, the Serbian leader announced that he intends to form a new government that will more effectively develop the economy, defend Belgrade's interests in the Kosovo issue and ensure the country's sovereignty.

“Vucic cannot ignore the factor of the upcoming elections.

Of course, he hopes that his Progressive Party will confidently win, and without warm relations with Moscow, this is impossible.

Russophile sentiments are strong in Serbian society.

Therefore, the outcome of the negotiations with Putin may affect the political future of Vucic and his party, "Kandel summed up.