Sormaz: Vučić worships Russia but hates Euro-Atlantic values

Dragan Sormaz’s authorial text for The Geopost

In recent months, the European Union has become more present and active in the Western Balkans than it has been since the coronavirus pandemic. After the elections to the new European institutions and the start of their work, the belief has developed that the EU really wants to complete the enlargement process to include the Western Balkans, Ukraine and Moldova. Indeed, there are still voices in old Europe that are not giving up on Turkey, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

At the same time, those in the UK who are in favor of a repeat of the referendum are becoming increasingly vocal. They are convinced that the mood among the British is such that a return to the EU would be safe. Trump’s foreign policy has unexpectedly sparked a social debate in Iceland and Norway about the need for EU membership.

Unexpected but true – the EU is developing into an alternative to the existing Euro-Atlantic world order. 45% of Canadians are in favor of their country becoming a full member of this community. The road to a United States of Europe has begun, and I hope and wish that this process will be successfully completed.

In the Western Balkans, Bosnia and Herzegovina is facing difficulties and the prospect of EU membership is a long way off. I have been convinced for years that Bosnia must wait for its neighbors to join, especially Serbia, so that it can then join the Community very easily and quickly. North Macedonia is finally making progress. It has 20 positive reports from the European Commission and was the first country to benefit from GDP growth funds. However, the “Bulgarian question” continues to slow down this process. Albania is currently working on its EU integration more seriously than any other country. It has received the first tranche of GDP growth funds and has opened four clusters, or 24 chapters in the negotiation process, in just seven months! By comparison, Serbia has opened 22 chapters in seven years! The entire Albanian society has taken the possibility of membership by 2030 seriously, and all state institutions, political parties and civil society are working harmoniously to achieve this goal. Montenegro has come the furthest. It is currently in the process of closing all chapters and, according to European officials, is expected to be a full member of the EU as early as 2028! Not even the spokespeople of the “Serbian world”, who are part of the ruling coalition, are putting obstacles in the way of this process – for the time being! For Kosovo, the unfinished dialog with Serbia is an obstacle, but the recent statement by Kaja Kallas a few days ago that the Ohrid Agreement will be implemented as planned gives reason to hope that Kosovo will soon be able to start accession negotiations.

We have reached the weakest candidate in the region – Serbia! Five years ago, Serbia was the leading country in the region in terms of integration into the European Union. Today, the accession process has been stagnating for a long time, and the power in Belgrade is a major contributor to this. Although Aleksandar Vučić’s regime declares that it will continue on the European path, it is increasingly distancing itself from the values and standards of the EU. This is clearly demonstrated by the fact that the regime only speaks of “remaining on the European path”, but not of membership as a genuine political goal. More important than this rhetorical distance is the fact that Serbia is distancing itself from the EU both in terms of values and politics. Serbia is the only candidate country that has not imposed sanctions against Russia due to its aggression against Ukraine and has not aligned its foreign policy with Brussels. Meanwhile, official Belgrade is making a series of mistakes and aligning its international positions with Russia and China, with whom it is increasingly voting against the EU’s positions in international forums. Recently, Aleksandar Vučić apologized to Russia for Serbia’s vote after a vote at the United Nations, while the Serbian Foreign Minister told Moscow that Serbia’s vote was later changed in favor of Russian interests!

Serbia is also moving away from the EU in terms of compliance with European standards, particularly in the areas of the rule of law, the fight against corruption and political and media freedom.

This is a consequence of the fact that a hybrid kleptocratic regime is in power in Belgrade, which cannot survive politically if it implements the democratic and legal standards of the European Union. In Serbia, the dilemma is not between EU membership or any other alternative integration, but between the European Union and the continuation of the rule of corruption that is destroying the foundations of Serbian society. This is precisely the main reason why Serbia is blocked on the path to the EU – a path that increasingly resembles a beautiful deception to stun the 45% of citizens who are in favor of EU membership, whose votes Vučić needs, but not for Serbia’s actual membership in the European Union.

Aleksandar Vučić is therefore LYING to his European partners, the region and the citizens of Serbia when he claims that Serbia’s strategic goal is membership of the European Union! He does not impose sanctions against Russia, not only because he is an ally of Putin, but also because he worships Russia and openly hates all the values of the Euro-Atlantic world. He will never implement reforms, because an independent prosecutor’s office, independent courts, free media, fair elections – all this would mean the end of Vučić’s rule. Unfortunately, the alternative of the powerless opposition in Belgrade does not really exist, as none of them are resolute, vocal and clear in their fight against the Russian narrative! The students as a new alternative have not yet made their mark in foreign policy and therefore cannot yet be considered a fully-fledged alternative in the true sense of the word.

So where does that leave Serbia? Since the biggest obstacle to EU membership is Vučić himself, the first step is to topple his regime and then build a new foreign policy position for the country. A position that does not lie to the citizens by telling them that Serbia is independent and sovereign, while the EU member states are not! It is clear that anyone who is part of powerful international organizations such as NATO and the EU strengthens their independence and sovereignty. Those who are alone, without allies, are weak! Serbia’s future lies in the Euro-Atlantic world! Of course, Serbs would not be Serbs if they did not achieve this in the most difficult way, but this positioning is unavoidable!

/The Geopost