Nebojsa Stefanovic, whose name has been leaked for months in the context of major scandals and accusations he has publicly denied, will almost certainly be a new minister, but the biggest players in the West would prefer if he kept the defence ministry, sources from diplomatic circles told Demostat. Pročitaj više

Demostat’s interlocutors thus confirm the frequent claims of some media, such as the Nova.rs portal, about the „return“ of a „written off“ high-ranking Progressive official who had been at the mercy of the ruling party’s top leadership, primarily Aleksandar Vucic.

According to some diplomats, Stefanovic has great support from the United States, which, Demostat recalled, recently sent a veteran of diplomacy, Christopher Hill, as ambassador to Serbia, much „tougher“ towards Vucic’s regime than his predecessor, Anthony Godfrey.

At the same time, it is claimed that the „wind in Stefanovic’s wings“ is given by Great Britain, whose Defense Minister Ben Wallace visited Serbia last year, which was the first official visit of the United Kingdom Defence Minister to the country ever, with whom he signed an agreement on improving the cooperation in the field of defence.

On the other hand, there is a lot of speculation that there will be no place in the Government for people like Aleksandar Vulin, the former Minister of the Interior, who is considered to be Vucic’s a man of great trust.

According to media reports, Vulin could receive a „consolation prize“ and become the new ambassador to Beijing, but there are also those who told Demostat that despite „easily noticeable“ increasing pressure on Serbia to side with Brussels and Washington in the context condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the possibility of Vulin remaining in the Ministry he led for the past two years should not be „completely“ ruled out because Vucic „never hid his praise.“

The opinion that Nebojsa Stefanovic is once again in the game for winning the „armchair“ in Nemanjina 11 street is not only supported by the interlocutors of Demostat from diplomatic circles but also by some sources close to the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).