Serbia will eventually have to adjust its foreign policy and choose between Putin and the West if it is going to join the European Union, says ex Serbian ambassador

Serbia’s policy of balancing “between Putin and West” will continue until it gets lost in a dead end which, in this case, will be negotiations on Chapter 31 of the Accession talks with the EU, when Belgrade has to adjust its foreign affairs with the one of the EU.

Former Serbia’s ambassador to Belarus Srecko Djuric told N1 that right now Serbia had benefit from that kind of relations since its export to Russia reaches one billion US dollars.

“Policy of balancing between Putin and Russia will go on until it hits the dead end. Politicians can parry, but diplomatic rules are clear – if you want to join the EU you have to meet its criteria or you can not join the club. When we collide with foreign policy coordinates, or when we come to the Chapter 31 which refers to foreign policy, we will have to adjust our foreign affairs with Brussels and implement measures on Russia… or we will not enter the EU”, Djukic said.

Serbia, in his opinion, benefits from Russia since, he says, the export worth a billion US dollars and what is going there could not go anywhere else.

Djukic said that Serbia’s European integrations were “slowing down” due to the question of Kosovo as “an aggravated circumstance” that did not allow us to accelerate the adjustment to EU rules.

Asked about media reports saying that German wish for Kosovo is to grant it UN observer status, Djukic said it was “one of the possible realities” and one of the transitional solutions, but whether it suited Serbia was another matter.

“It is a difficult and complex issue when you have a whole system, two alliances, and only a few exceptions who support us, like Spain… But, what I see missing is our platform to explain what we want regarding Kosovo? I think we have to preserve it in any possible way”, Djukic said.

He added that it was clear that Serbia was advocating a compromise, but what remained unknown was what that compromise meant. Djukic thinks that it should be discussed in the parliament.a

“The problem is that political forces in Serbia cannot reach consensus. We are small country, but at least regarding big, important issues we should find compromise. Our society is disunited about that issue (Kosovo) and that is a burden. Russia was the same, but they gathered around national issues and Putin had worked on it a lot”, said Djukic.

He added that overcoming animosities was necessary as well as

national unity on at least two or three key issues.