Giaufret: Russia Starts a War, Strong EU Required, Able to Defend Itself

Emanuele Giaufret (BETAPHOTO/MILAN OBRADOVIC)

Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Emanuele Giaufret said on May 9 that now that Russia had decided to go to war it’s important to have a strong and united European Union, able to defend itself, adding that it’s using the sixth package of sanctions against Russia to stop the Russian invasion of Ukraine, completely unprovoked.

“We are urging all our partners across the world to join the sanctions, Serbia included. As a candidate country, Serbia has a duty to progressively align its policy with the Union’s,” the EU ambassador made clear, adding that a lot of states were dependent on Russian energy sources, but that the Union had decided to reduce that dependence gradually, because Moscow was an unreliable energy supplier, disrespecting arrangements.

“We have to reduce the dependence in moderation. It might take longer for some states to do it. EU members and candidate countries have been urged to join the process of suspending Russian energy imports, and Serbia is one of them,” Giaufret explained.

The EU diplomat said it didn’t go unnoticed that Serbia, too, was “working on diversification,” and that the focus was on “a Serbia-Bulgaria gas interconnector, supporting the diversification process.” “The EU line is clear – to cut energy dependence,” Giaufret said.