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The fact that Vučić did not go to Moscow follows tense relations with the European Union due to the "Mrdić laws" adopted in Parliament, which called into question the payment of almost 1.6 billion euros from the European Growth Plan...
This year, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić did not attend the ceremonial parade in Moscow on May 9, which marks Victory Day in World War II.
The Serbian head of state was not on the list of meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin published by local media. The Russian president and Robert Fico, the Prime Minister of Slovakia, will lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Hero in Aleksandrovska Basta.
Putin will then meet with the presidents of Belarus, Laos, Abkhazia, South Ossetia and the leadership of Republika Srpska headed by Milorad Dodik.
In addition, Putin had a one-on-one meeting with Malaysia's Supreme Ruler, Sultan Ibrahim, on Friday.
-Instead of a visit, a letter
Although Vučić will not be traveling to Moscow this year, he delivered a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which he congratulated him on Victory Day, to the Russian Ambassador to Serbia, Aleksandar Bochan-Kharchenko. They also discussed bilateral relations, regional and international issues, as well as energy.
"I discussed bilateral relations with the Ambassador of the Russian Federation, with particular emphasis on cooperation in the field of energy, and we also exchanged views on current regional and international issues ," Vučić emphasized.
The fact that Vučić did not go to Moscow follows tense relations with the European Union due to the “Mrdić laws” adopted in Parliament, which called into question the payment of almost 1.6 billion euros from the European Growth Plan. It was the European Commissioner for Enlargement, Marta Kos, who recently referred to the country’s geopolitical orientation as one of the problems.
"We have a rule that a country that wants to become an EU member must fully comply with the EU's foreign and security policy. This means that you cannot sit on two chairs. At some point, Serbia will have to decide what is more important for further development," Kos said.
-Obstacles and NIS
Commenting on Vučić's failure to go to Moscow, diplomat Srečko Đukić tells the Nova newspaper that bilateral relations between Serbia and Russia are still strained by the issue of the sale of NIS.
" Undoubtedly, these relations are completely burdened by the issue of the sale of NIS and this should not be ignored. Any meeting between Vučić and the Russian president would not be possible without mentioning this issue. Serbia is seeking to buy NIS, and Putin not only will not sell it to us, but does not want it at all. It is a big problem that has burdened Serbia for a year and a half and does not seem to be resolved," says Djukić.
He adds that, accordingly, Vučić chose the most neutral option.
" From that arrival, he would have gained nothing and solved nothing ," says Djukic.
Djukic also states that the security situation in Moscow is unstable due to Ukrainian threats.
" The arrival of foreign guests has been reduced to a minimum. 40 air defense checkpoints have been set up around Moscow and the government has warned that a drone attack is possible, an attack on Red Square and the parade... It is understood that this is a sign that it is not safe ," says Djukic.
-Russian media reported that Serbia continues to export weapons to Ukraine
On the eve of Victory Day, which is celebrated in Moscow, Russian media reported that the Ukrainian military continues to secure ammunition from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina through third countries, despite Belgrade's official neutrality and export bans.
According to RIA Novosti, which refers to a well-informed source, last year the delivery of 50,000 122-millimeter unguided rockets for the “Grad” multiple launch rocket launchers by the Serbian company Zenitprom was planned.
As mentioned, the bans are circumvented by exporting only the components, with the final assembly taking place in third countries. In this case, the Slovenian company IZOP-K doo supplies Zenitpro with parts, including 5,000 artillery lighters from the Bosnian company Binas dd from Bugojno.
The parts should then be sent to Poland for final assembly, with an end-user certificate on behalf of the Polish Ministry of Defense. Similar information was also published by other Russian media outlets, such as the TASS agency and the Voenoe delo portal, noting that the supply continues despite Serbia's declared neutrality.
-Who still remembers Vučić from last year?
Vučić traveled to Moscow on Victory Day last year. The first announcement that the Serbian president would appear at last year’s Victory Day celebrations in Moscow was met with a negative response from European Union officials. As they stated, “ the EU sees it as part of Russian propaganda to justify the invasion of Ukraine.”
This was stated by the media representatives of the European Commission in Brussels, emphasizing that Serbia is a candidate for EU membership and therefore it is necessary to follow the Union's strategic guidelines for security and progress.
Despite this, Vučić stayed in Moscow, where he declared that he would personally feel the consequences of going to the Victory Parade./ Adapted from "Pamphlet" by "TheGeopost"
Servus-Serbus-Serbska me origjine nga emri latin Serpente. Cmund te presesh nga gjarperi. Puna e komisarit ishte loje.