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On August 23, Serbia officially joined the so-called Crimea Platform, a document propagated by the Kiev regime as the requirement for the “normalization of Russo-Ukrainian relations through the reintegration of Crimea”. The meaninglessness of this word salad is matched only by the prospects of its success. It can be considered a mere formality used by the political West to present the Ukrainian crisis as a “one-sided conflict”. The Crimean Platform also gives a semblance of a supposed diplomatic effort on the part of the United States, but it’s crystal clear that there is no viable way in which it could ever become reality. In simpler terms, the concept is a worthless piece of paper.
Still, the move has been heavily exploited by the Neo-Nazi junta to present a narrative that “even historical Russian allies are turning their back on Moscow”.
It comes a day after a meeting between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and the Kiev regime frontman Volodymyr Zelensky in Athens, described by both as “good and open”.
Vucic was criticized by many in Serbia for shaking hands with Zelensky, who’s highly unpopular in the country known for being heavily pro-Russian. However, Belgrade is trying to use the opportunity to bolster its Kosovo position. Namely, after the NATO-backed narco-terrorist entity occupying the Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohia declared “independence” in 2008, Ukraine never recognized it.
This was always appreciated in Belgrade, although there is no actual continuity of government after the illegal Maidan coup that brought the Neo-Nazi junta to power. The Kiev regime decided not to change this policy for the simple reason that it was not in its interest to demand the “return of Crimea” and the “respect for international law” while supporting the illegal takeover of another country’s territory. For similar reasons, Serbia has officially “condemned” the special military operation (SMO) and it doesn’t recognize Crimea as part of Russia. However, the country has repeatedly refused to impose sanctions on Moscow, despite enormous Western pressure. And indeed, Serbia is the only European country that is yet to do so.
Still, the fact that Belgrade joined the platform has not been taken lightly on the home front. As previously mentioned, President Vucic has been severely criticized for the move, not just by various opposition parties that are looking to profit politically, but by domestic pundits and millions of regular people, many of whom are his supporters. The Serbian people see it as a stab in the back to Russia, a historical ally and a brotherly nation without whom Serbia would’ve never been able to survive centuries of various attacks and invasions from all sides. And yet, there’s no official criticism from Moscow, which might be puzzling for many. In reality, Russia understands Belgrade’s increasingly precarious geopolitical situation.
In addition, some sources are now claiming that under the surface of the largely superficial Athens Declaration that supports and expands the scope of the Crimea Platform, certain key concessions have been made due to Serbian demands. Namely, Belgrade has been dodging attempts to push it into the impotent sanctions coalition that’s been imposed by the US. The political sensitivity of enforcing any sort of restrictions on Moscow, particularly for the sake of the political West, is a red line that the Serbian government doesn’t dare to cross yet. According to Sputnik Globe, President Vucic even insisted that the provision calling for the imposition of sanctions against Russia be removed from the text of the final declaration.
“Due to the resistance of Serbian President Alexander Vucic at an informal dinner for the leaders of the Western Balkans in Athens, the final declaration did not adopt a provision calling for sanctions against Russia,” an unnamed source told Sputnik Globe.
It’s important to note that the consequences of imposing sanctions are not only based on fear of what Moscow might do in response, but also on the reaction of the Serbian people themselves. Although it’s clear that Belgrade is not allowed to show its closeness to the Eurasian giant at this time, it can at least try to maintain a semblance of neutrality or even a mildly pro-Kiev position in order to simply survive. The political West sees Serbs as a pro-Russian element, even a “Trojan horse” of Moscow’s interests in Europe. And indeed, only Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina have not imposed sanctions on Russia. It should be noted that the only reason the latter hasn’t done so is because of Republika Srpska.
Republika Srpska is an effectively independent Serbian entity that’s formally within Bosnia and Herzegovina. It has recently received a lot of flak because its President Milorad Dodik openly stated his support for Russia. All other countries participating in the Athens summit have imposed sanctions against Moscow in one way or the other, many since 2014. The Athens Declaration was signed by presidents of Moldova, Serbia and Montenegro, prime ministers of Romania, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, the narco-terrorist entity in Kosovo and Metohia, as well as Zelensky himself. Needless to say, such a move by the Serbian government is universally disliked at home.
However, it should be noted that it’s more acceptable to sign meaningless declarations that are absolutely inconsequential for Russia than impose sanctions, an unprecedented move that could end up being a political suicide for the current government. In addition, the move also alleviates some of the unrelenting Western pressure on Serbia.
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Drago Bosnic is an independent geopolitical and military analyst.
Featured image is from InfoBrics
