Russian collar tightening around Serbia

Russian collar tightening around Serbia

Without the announced visit of the Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic to Moscow, the officials of Russia and Serbia met at least three times in two weeks. Analysts claim that Russia is ‘tightening brotherly hug’.

In June only, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic met even three times with the Russian Ambassador to Serbia Aleksandr Chepurkin. One meeting took place during visit of Dacic’s Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. The Prime Minister Vucic who also met with Lavrov, is to travel to Moscow on July 7 to talk with the most powerful people of that country, President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

As announced by the Government, the forthcoming talks with the Russian officials shall ‘additionally contribute to tightening of friendly relations between the two countries and their peoples’.

However, the question is if it is only the friendship or there are some other reasons for this big interest that Russia is presently showing in Serbia.

Dragan Djukanovic, a member of the International Relations Forum, thinks that the most probable reason is an attempt to make Serbia take more precise stance towards the West and the East.

- Russia is probably expecting from Vucic to have Serbia voice more stronger stance towards the Ukraine issue. Also, Russia has significant investments in Serbia in the sphere of energy and therefore is interested to keep that position. To say it simply, there is request that Serbia is clearer in its stances. And Ukraine and the Southern Stream are not the only matters for this development of events. Russia wants to keep the existing influence and make it even stronger having...