Dragas: Russia uses the lithium issue to hinder Serbia’s cooperation with the West

Russia exploits sensitive issues to create internal divisions and political crisis, negatively affecting Western investments and Serbia’s cooperation with the European Union. This is what Orhan Dragash, director of the International Security Institute in Belgrade, says, while emphasizing that this influence becomes clear through the distribution of disinformation and fake news, which have fueled opposition to lithium mining.

In an interview for The Geopost, Dragash analyzes how this approach of Russia, especially after the aggression against Ukraine, is intended to hinder economic development and the transition to green energy in Serbia.

“We have been flooded with fake news for years and this is the main reason we have protests and a large number of opponents of lithium mining. In all of this, Russia has a clear interest in preventing the arrival of large Western investments in Serbia and in hindering Serbia’s cooperation with the European Union regarding the main European policy, which is the green energy transition. The Russian influence, I have been repeating this for several years, especially after the Russian aggression against Ukraine, is a weight on Serbia’s neck to get closer to Europe, and the lithium mine is only the last area where this harmful influence is clearly visible,” he says.

Full interview: 

The Geopost: How ominous is the accelerated arming of Serbia? Is there any country in the region that is a threat to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia?

Dragaš: It’s nothing ominous. Serbia behaves like any reasonable country in Europe and the world. The military expenses of all countries have been increasing for nine years in a row, we are talking about measurements, and no one is reducing their defense spending. On the contrary, all countries are increasing their defense spending. According to the Stockholm International Peace Institute (SIPRI), the world’s leading authority on military spending, close to $2.5 trillion is being spent on armaments this year. The question is no longer whether states should pay for defense, but whether they can keep up with such a large increase in defense investment. Fortunately, Serbia can follow the world trend, which means that it can follow the growth of European and Chinese and American defense. I am talking about the most important parameters. We could not follow it only ten years ago, now it is possible. It is a direct impact without a dilemma, a stronger economy, investment in defense and military and a direct reflection of whether your economy is strong or not. We should not think about whether we will go to war against another country, that will not happen.

But we must have a strong military, primarily as a deterrent to deter various security threats, such as terrorism, for example. Take, for example, the attempted assassination of our gendarme in front of the Israeli embassy. There we have the heroic reaction of our gendarme against the terrorist, but behind it we have a whole system that has been built for years, through training, good organization, motivation, technical equipment of the security forces, which reacted properly at the critical moment. Therefore, it is unusual for citizens, readers of your portal, why someone arms themselves if they do not expect attacks. Armament is often a deterrent and what makes a country safe. And when it makes it safe in that security sense, it makes it safe for investors, which is the most important thing for every country.

The Geopost: If you take into account the strategic agreement signed in July with the EU on lithium mining, then the purchase of French Rafale aircraft, and the delivery of weapons to Ukraine, the question arises whether Serbia is on a ‘honeymoon’ with the EU and the USA?

Dragaš: It seems that way, but I don’t think it’s about the honeymoon, it’s about the years. Serbia long ago, already in 2000, especially after the Thessaloniki EU summit, said that it wanted to join Europe. From where now, 24 years later, the questioning whether we want to go to Europe or not? No one has said for these 24 years – we will not go to Europe or the EU. Some said, but they have less than 10 percent in the elections and they are lucky to get to the other side.

The memorandum with the EU regarding strategic raw materials, which includes lithium, is the most important document signed by Serbia with the European Union after the abolition of visas for travel to the EU. It is not just a document on strategic raw materials, it is Serbia’s irreversible path towards EU membership. With that agreement, we became European partners in the most important European business in the next 20 years, which is the green transition.

At the moment, there is no stronger bond within Europe than the partnership over critical raw materials, namely lithium. Serbia has a historic chance to connect with Europe in a way that will ensure that Europe remains the best place to live in the world. We must not miss this chance, because it is a hub that can make us a strong European country or leave us on the periphery in the long term. Lithium today is what railroads were in the 19th century, or electricity in the early 20th century.

If we do not accept this wave of modernization, we will remain on the margins without a dilemma. As for the purchase of French planes – Rafale, it is also a historic step that first of all turns us back to ourselves, our defense and our interests. Today, we buy the best airplanes, the best technology that exists in order to take care of Serbia. Until now, we have always bought airplanes with someone else in mind. Here, I am talking very openly about Russia. It’s great that we can buy such good and expensive planes without hurting our economy, which has always happened in the past.

The Geopost: Is the anti-lithium fever, i.e. the current protests in Serbia aimed at overthrowing the Vučić regime, or is it about preventing the euro-integration of Serbia. In Serbia, there are many reasons for protests beyond lithium.

Dragaš: I was 20 years younger when the story about lithium around Loznica was a hit topic in Politics, News, on TV Belgrade and everyone was overjoyed that we have something that no one else in the world has. Even the leaders of the opposition only 2-3 years ago, no more, talked about lithium in Jadr as a fantastic chance for Serbia to make an economic leap. What has changed in 2-3 years objectively? How did these people suddenly forget that they were first in line to mine lithium? Of course, this is a political, not an environmental action. What would be said, when you say – lithium, but you mean – Vučić? To them, lithium is today what the Ribnikar school was yesterday, what the covid quarantine was the day before yesterday. It’s all just grabbing an important topic in flight to improve the ratings of political parties. Whoever does not understand this, let him say if he remembers that the German chancellor and the president of Mercedes ever came to Belgrade together to do business with Serbia. It is a very important event, perhaps the most important in the past 20 years. Serbia has never had such an honor in its history as it did this summer. If we miss this chance, we won’t get the next one. And then it will be too late to fiddle about how we were heroes and didn’t give up on ourselves, which is often our custom on social networks.

The Geopost: The Kremlin is using the Balkans as a pressure point to weaken and divide the EU, you wrote in a column for the Kyiv Post. Do you see traces of Moscow in the protests in Serbia?

Dragaš: I have no problem with that. I am convinced that a number of people in Serbia are genuinely concerned about the environment, you and I are, and that they are really worried about whether the lithium mine will lead to pollution or not. It is a natural reaction of responsible people, who seek full information in order to reduce their fears. Something completely different is the political use of this case, which is pure manipulation. I have to remind you who first started the protests against lithium mines when they were still at the local level, in Loznica and its surroundings. It was Mlađan Đorđević (prime nov. who is on the Tipars list of Putin’s agents) with his organization, an obscure but certainly an organization, and they organized some kind of auto-litia in the Loznica region and there was Dveri (prime nov. founder movement also on the list of Putin’s agents).

Two absolutely pro-Russian organizations. These are pro-Russian politicians who started protests against lithium three years ago. While the opposition, the mainstream opposition, at that moment the pro-European one was still not doing that. It is a typical Russian handwriting, which works in Serbia and elsewhere by excellently assessing which issue can lead to major divisions in society and cause a political crisis, and then through its associates inflames and deepens that conflict. Which is happening now. Another fact that clearly shows the Russian handwriting is the distribution of a large amount of disinformation and fake news related to lithium mining, its harmfulness, water pollution. We have been inundated with fake news for years and it is the main reason why we have both protests and a large number of opponents of lithium mines. In all of this, Russia has a clear interest in preventing the arrival of huge Western investment in Serbia, and in preventing Serbia’s cooperation with the European Union regarding the main European policy, which is the green energy transition. Russian influence, I have been repeating this for several years, especially since Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, is a weight on Serbia’s neck to get closer to Europe, and the lithium mine is only the latest field where this harmful influence is clearly visible.

/The Geopost