"Coincidence of views and approaches": the Russian ambassador in Belgrade - on Serbia's relations with the Russian Federation and the position on NATO's actions

— Why does Serbia continue its course towards developing a strategic

- Indeed, the European Union, in the context of negotiations on Belgrade's accession to the EU, puts enormous pressure on Serbia.

And this pressure focuses on the demand to curtail relations with Russia.

This pressure began to be most active in 2014.

And then it continued with varying intensity in order to force Serbia to join the EU anti-Russian sanctions.

But it didn't give any results.

Because, as you rightly said, multi-vector diplomacy is the basis of Serbia's foreign policy and activities in the international arena.

Cooperation with Russia occupies a huge place here.

This is exactly the line, the course that meets the national interests of Serbia to the greatest extent.

This is a time-tested course that gives the country concrete results.

• Russian Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko

• © serbia.mid.ru

In this case, Serbia takes a principled line, despite the pressure and difficulties.

Belgrade rejects such approaches of the EU on principle and rather categorically.

I repeat once again: this is primarily related to the national interests of Serbia, with the tasks of its development, further economic recovery, as well as finding the best responses to such modern challenges as, for example, the pandemic.

It was in cooperation with Russia that the solutions were found that helped Serbia cope with the waves of the pandemic.

This includes the establishment of the production of Sputnik V here, and assistance in vaccination.

We can talk for a long time about this part of cooperation, as well as about our economic ties.

Many of our joint economic projects are much larger than those that Belgrade is implementing through the EU.

• RIA News

• © Alexander Milachich

In addition, an important factor is the spiritual and cultural closeness of our countries, as well as our agreement on many political and foreign policy issues.

- The RT DE TV channel received a license to broadcast in Serbia, but the Germans do not recognize it and are trying to block the work of this media.

Does this behavior of Germany violate the right to information of the inhabitants of the European Union?

After all, RT DE broadcasts not only to Germany, but also to other countries.

How does Serbia feel about this?

- The perception in Serbia, of course, is extremely negative.

Because this is a blow to RT and, in general, to our information presence in Germany.

In addition, this, of course, is a blow and an extremely unpleasant situation for Serbia, whose license, issued in full accordance with the European Convention on Television Broadcasting, was simply ignored.

Moreover, Serbia has shown a principled approach here, acting within the framework of this convention, which means within the framework of European and international norms.

By the way, our partners in the EU always urge us to do this, but in this case they violated these norms themselves.

- A whole concern of American media in the Serbian language, affiliated with the former head of the CIA, David Petraeus, operates on the territory of Serbia.

Can we say that the Anglo-Saxon point of view prevails in Serbia?

And how important would it then be to have an alternative point of view?

— Indeed, the efforts of the Americans, the UK, and many EU countries in this area are on the rise.

Their information presence is growing.

Nevertheless, if we talk about public demand, then it remains, and I can say this without any exaggeration, in favor of Russian information and Russian information sources.

Sputnik is in great demand here, it is watched, listened to, read.

Although, unfortunately, we do not have a whole information concern in Serbia, like the Anglo-Saxons, but the interest in our media sources here is huge.

We have plans to expand our information presence.

We are talking primarily about RT.

And I think that soon this presence will be strengthened.

Including broadcasting in Serbian.

And it is in great demand, the return will be huge.

Moreover, work in the Serbian language will mean broadcasting not only to Serbia, but to the entire Balkan region.

— Then let’s

- Belgrade perceives very positively and with full understanding our position, which concerns the provision of security guarantees.

There is a huge understanding, one hundred percent understanding, and it is long-term.

It will exist in relation to the non-expansion of NATO, since Serbia is a neutral country that has secured this neutral status, despite pressure and persuasion to join the so-called Euro-Atlantic family.

Nevertheless, Serbia has already made its choice, which is connected both with domestic political moments and with external aspects, in favor of neutrality.

In this case, Serbia's choice in favor of NATO is impossible, it is difficult to imagine it, if only because there is and will not be public agreement, public consensus in favor of such a choice.

This is also connected with the consequences of the NATO aggression against Serbia in 1999.

But there is another aspect.

This is an understanding at the regional level that the expansion of NATO and the development by the alliance of the territory of other Balkan countries, the countries of the former Yugoslavia, did not lead to the strengthening of security, but, on the contrary, led to new dividing lines, threats and contradictions.

• Russian Ambassador to Belgrade Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko on the neutral status of Serbia

And no one has explained, no matter how much you ask, what benefits these countries get from joining NATO.

I heard a lot of fabrications, including that it would give some unthinkable economic take-off, an influx of investments, and so on.

However, reality shows that nothing is promised.

Nevertheless, on the issue of NATO, the work of the West in relation to Serbia continues.

Absolutely unceremoniously, this line is being drawn in neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the Republika Srpska, one of the constitutional peoples, entities, is categorically against joining NATO.

The West is trying to break this country through the knee in order to move through it to involve the Serbs in NATO - first the Bosnian Serbs, and then Serbia itself.

But there is a clear understanding in Belgrade that the Euro-Atlantic option is completely unacceptable, because it does not give the country greater security and stability in development.

— How important is the ideological factor in building relations between Serbia and NATO?

— The ideological factor is present in NATO's approach.

It does not work very well in Serbia, but in the approach of the alliance, as well as the European Union, it exists.

For NATO members ... to involve the Serbs in NATO, whether it be the Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina or Serbia, is an extremely important moral and political task.

Because the entry of the Serbs into NATO, as it were, closes the page of the history of Kosovo (associated with the NATO aggression against Serbia in 1999. -

).

The very involvement of the Serbs in NATO will justify the alliance that barbarously bombed this country, destroyed the civilian population, infrastructure and caused irreparable damage, the consequences of which, including for the health of the nation, are still being felt.

• Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko on NATO's desire to include Serbia in its membership

- How do Russia's relations with the US and Europe affect relations with Serbia?

- A constructive atmosphere of cooperation between Russia and the West would put Serbia in a more comfortable position, given its multi-vector course and line towards joining the European Union.

It is obvious.

But the main thing here is that the Serbian leadership continues its principled course and does not curtail, but, on the contrary, expands relations with the Russian Federation and the EAEU, despite all the threats, calls and demands of the European Union and NATO.

The West believes that Serbia, having set itself the goal of joining the European Union, should now fully adapt its foreign policy to the course of the EU, that is, resignedly, unconditionally, uncritically implement and welcome the decisions that are made in Brussels.

The Serbs are fundamentally opposed to this approach.

They retain sovereignty and focus on their national interests.

Serbia recently bought a batch of weapons from Russia.

In the West, statements were immediately heard that this could lead to increased

- Bought and will be buying more.

We make no secret of this.

Work on this issue is being carried out within the framework of the intergovernmental commission.

All activities related to military-technical cooperation between Russia and Serbia are carried out on the basis of contracts and plans.

It fully complies with all international obligations and agreements.

Serbia is modernizing its army.

Does it successfully.

This is done in the context of strengthening the sovereignty of the country.

This is quite legal and fully in line with our plans for bilateral cooperation.

We will continue to do so.

And various concerns about this are expressed by those countries that themselves are now saturating Ukraine with weapons contrary to the Minsk agreements - a “hot spot” and a source of instability.

So this is, of course, a hoax.

— Serbia is actively developing cooperation with China.

Do you think there is no jealousy on the part of Russia?

Jealousy is not a political category.

Serbia is interested in developing cooperation with both Russia and China.

We have every opportunity for this.

We need to work with China.

We have a wide field for cooperation at the regional level.

First of all, in the economy.

And such interaction is already being implemented.

For example, our joint Belgrade-Novi Sad high-speed railway project is progressing very well.

Russian Railways is working on it in cooperation with Chinese partners.

So we have a wide field for joint efforts.

- I would like to

 return to the relations between Russia and Serbia

— I have heard such assessments and consider them immoral and cynical.

To say that there is too much of this cooperation is simply inhumane.

Because we are talking about the tribute that we give to our ancestors.

Indeed, there is a lot of such cooperation.

A lot is being done and will be done.

I would put Serbia in first place in a number of countries where there is the best understanding of our approaches to the memorial sphere, to the inadmissibility of reshaping and revision of history.

On this issue we have a complete coincidence of views and approaches.

Ask anyone in Serbia, and everyone will tell you that these things must be done.

It is necessary to open monuments, carry out actions of the Immortal Regiment movement, which is very developed in Serbia.

So this area is developing and harmoniously fits into our cooperation.

• Participants of the procession "Immortal Regiment" in Belgrade

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• © Oleg Ivanov

The international situation is now extremely tense.

Conflicts are not resolved, including in Kosovo and in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Why ca

The reasons are the same, they are well known.

These are the double standards of the West, the violation of their agreements.

Here you can draw a parallel with the situation in Ukraine, where Kiev does not comply with the Minsk agreements.

The same is happening with the issue of Kosovo.

Pristina, at the suggestion of the West, refuses to comply with Resolution 1244. It contains all the fundamental elements, the implementation of which would lead to a sustainable solution and long-term stability in this part of Serbia.

The same is happening in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The general line of the West is aimed at emasculating the Dayton Agreement, which continues to play an indispensable, unique role.

In the West, they are trying to present the case in such a way that this agreement only led to the end of the war, and now other approaches are needed.

And these approaches, of course, are focused on giving an advantage to only one of the parties, and that is not the Serbs.

Such a one-sided approach, an attempt to support only one side in the conflict, as well as ignoring the basic agreements reached on the basis of the UN Charter and international law, do not allow moving forward in resolving these issues.