Analyst: Arms trade, Kosovo recognition on Belgrade Non-Aligned Summit's agenda

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11. okt. 2021. 22:50

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The Non-Aligned Summit in Belgrade was a pale shadow of what the movement was in 1961 and before the end of the 1989 cold war and its goals were the arms trade and Kosovo's issue, Srdjan Cvijic, a senior analyst at the Institute for Public Policies of the Open Society Foundations and a member of the Balkan Advisory Group for Europe, told N1 on Monday.

"Then, they served the purpose by positioning themselves between the two blocks," he told N1.

But now, he said, "it's simple: in addition to trying to prevent further recognition of Kosovo's independence by the Non-Aligned states or to make them revoke them, the goal is narrowly economic for the ruling elite (in Serbia)."
Cvijic recalled that "the arms fair starts tomorrow, and I think the goal of these bilateral meetings is trade cooperation in the arms industry, which, as we saw in the case of the Krušik factory will not benefit citizens, but only arms dealers who finance the ruling party."

He added that the gathering was also in the Russian interest since its Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also came to Belgrade in the early stages of the election campaign in Serbia.

"Serbia's Government is constantly trying to meet the politicians from Russia immediately after the Western leaders (in Slovenia, at the EU and Western Balkans' leaders Summit)," Cvijic said.

"The goal is to play on several sides at the same time, and in my opinion, that seems to be in the domestic and not foreign policy interest," he added.

Cvijic also said that it was clear it was not a non-aligned meeting from most of the speeches at the conference because most of them were directed against the West, in which Russia fitted well.

He believes Serbia is pursuing the wrong foreign policy because "looking at different sides can only harm an international reputation."

Cvijic adds that the reputation of a small country like Serbia is made with the "predictability of solid alliances, not changing them as the wind blows."

He believes an alliance dominant in the neighbourhood is much better," recalling that the countries from Serbia's environment are all members of the EU and NATO.

Asked how the EU would look at the Non-Aligned Summit in Belgrade, Cvijic said, "the EU is used to it, but one thing is when you organise it, and another when it turns into a harangue against the West."

"I am not sure that it contributes to the credibility of the country (Serbia) in the West," Cvijic added.