Former Diplomat: Serbian Foreign Policy Ends in Fiasco

Srecko Djukic (BETAPHOTO/File/Ognjen Radosevic/DS)

A former diplomat, Srecko Djukic, said on April 26 that a shift in Serbia’s foreign policy heralded by President Aleksandar Vucic might lead to a final break with the policy proclaimed to usher Serbia into the European Union (EU).

Djukic said in an interview with BETA that Vucic’s comments on the shift were “hasty and emotional,” instead of reflecting a deep analysis. “The question is what Serbia will achieve by the shift in its foreign policy, which Vucic has heralded. Can Azerbaijan, Georgina or Hungary be the pillar of Serbia’s new foreign policy? The shift can lead to a final break with Serbia’s proclaimed political goal to join the European Union, moving under Russia’s wing instead,” Djukic said.

Vucic’s words, the former ambassador says, indicate that “the hazy dream” of Serbia joining the EU has come to an end. “This government has been stringing us along for years with the story of Serbia’s EU path. Now it seems a policy of sitting on two chairs has come to an end, Serbia no longer wants to join the Union, but it only wants the Russian-Chinese chair to sit on,” says Djukic, a member of the Forum for International Relations.

“Serbia will not be absolved of all the obligations towards Kosovo it put its signature to or accepted in Brussels and Ohrid, and a failure to meet its commitments may result in sanctions, a new visa regime by the EU states, suspended sources of funding, stopped or suspended investments and restricted trade,” Djukic said, underlining that according to his sources sanctions are already “crawling” towards Serbia.