Vulin disinforms: Sanctions against Russia are a condition for Serbia’s EU membership

During the week, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin again disinformed the public that the imposition of sanctions against the Russian Federation is a condition for Serbia’s membership in the European Union.

This news was reported by almost all Russian media, recalling that during his recent stay in Moscow, Vulin met with “the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Sergei Shoigu, when it was stated that special attention was paid to combating Western interference in the internal affairs of Russia and Serbia, and to the cooperation of law enforcement agencies in the field of information security.

What Vulin said:

“Among the conditions that Serbia must fulfil for membership of the European Union is the requirement that Serbia imposes sanctions against the Russian Federation. To leave our most historically persistent friend Russia would open a chapter after which we would be waiting for a request to abolish Republika Srpska in another chapter,” Vulin said.

He said that Serbia is an independent and free country, which can hardly be said of many Member States, and he would not impose sanctions against the Russian Federation and thus lose a friend.

“If Serbia needs the EU at least as much as Moldova, it should stop asking us for what we cannot give it”, said Vulin.

Analysis:

Vulin’s statements are part of a broader propaganda campaign in Serbia to prevent citizens who see the Russians as brothers from hating the EU, despite the EU being Serbia’s biggest donor.

The fact is that over the last ten years, the EU has invested more than EUR 4 billion in grants in more than 1 500 projects in almost every municipality in Serbia, while offering more than EUR 7 billion in soft loans, far more than Russia and China.

Opinion polls from years ago show that citizens still believe that the aid from other external actors, such as China and Russia, is much greater than it actually is, while the funds from the European Union are underestimated, as a result of the government’s entrenched position and media propaganda.

It should be noted that Vulin, a person sanctioned by the US ‘for corruption and involvement in the drug trade and for links with Russia’, was recently appointed as the person responsible for cooperation with the BRICS countries.

“It is important to note that BRICS does not impose any political conditions on its members or candidates for membership. You do not have to pass laws written outside your country’s borders, you do not have to hand over power to the non-governmental sector, you do not have to visit your embassy, raise the flag of Ukraine or legalise same-sex marriage to be a member of BRICS. You do not have to impose sanctions on anyone or leave your country’s foreign policy to others.

In April this year, it will be recalled, the heads of diplomacy of the European Union (EU) Member States in Brussels adopted amendments to Chapter 35 in the accession negotiations with Serbia, which relate to Serbia’s obligations arising from the agreements reached with Kosovo last year in Brussels and Ohrid.

The text, previously adopted by EU ambassadors on 15 April, states that Serbia’s progress in the EU accession negotiations will guide its progress in preparing for accession.

This, they add, “will be measured in particular against Serbia’s continued commitment to a visible and sustainable improvement in relations with Kosovo and the other requirements of paragraph 23 of the Negotiating Framework”.

The text seen by the RTS further underlines that Serbia should fully implement its obligations under the Kosovo-Serbia Path to Normalisation Agreement in accordance with the Implementation Annex agreed on 18 March 2023.

“All discussions regarding the implementation of the Agreement will take place in the framework of dialogue, with the support of the EU,” they added.

The speed with which Belgrade will move forward is also conditional on the dialogue with Pristina, which, after the escalation of the past year, requires concrete engagement from both sides.

For all the Western Balkan countries, except Serbia, NATO membership is an informal condition for EU membership./The Geopost/