Page 24 - bne_newspaper_January_18_2019

Opinion
January 18, 2019 www.intellinews.com I Page 24
BALKAN BLOG:
Serbia’s Vucic walks the line between Russia and the West
Denitsa Koseva in Sofia
While Serbia pursues EU membership, its President Aleksandar Vucic is playing a seemingly perfect balancing game between his close ally, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the West
— and apparently is getting what he needs for the moment.
Vucic, who is so keen to show loyalty to Putin he is taking Russian language lessons in the mornings, said he was looking for the Russian president’s opinion on everything during Putin’s visit to Serbia that started on January 17.
"I always consult with President Putin, I ask him for advice, and I request his advice. I familiarise him with what is happening and I don't lie, I
tell the truth, although he does not always like everything I say. I think this is one of the things which Putin respects very much. And I respect this because he is the leader of a great country and I'm the leader of a small country, and he shows respect for this country, and I'm very grateful for that," Vucic said in an interview with Tass ahead of Putin’s visit.
He is not alone as Russia is seen as Serbia’s true friend by many Serbians, even now that the majority in the country want it to become an EU member.
Moreover, media in Serbia are predominantly pro- Russian, while Moscow’s economic influence is even stronger.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic says he is looking for the Russian president’s opinion on everything during Putin’s upcoming visit to Serbia.
Putin, who arrived in Serbia on January 17, was expected to set the tone for relations between
the two countries for 2019 and was anticipated with huge excitement by Vucic. There were even rumours that the Serbian president had arranged a demonstration to welcome Putin, demanding local organisations of his ruling Serbian Progres- sive Party (SNS) to send a certain number of peo- ple for the gathering – a move that caused contro- versy even in otherwise Russia-friendly Serbia.
Looking ahead to the visit, Belgrade was hoping to get stronger commitments from Putin for energy and infrastructure projects, including for Turkish Stream.
Vucic was also hoping to continue getting support from Moscow on the Kosovo issue. So far,
Russia has backed Serbia in its refusal to admit Kosovo as a state and helped keep Kosovo out
of the UN and other international organisations. In return, Belgrade is opposing the western sanctions against Russia even as it pursues EU membership.
Vucic has said that entry to the EU is Serbia’s
top priority and his loyal ally, Prime Minister
Ana Brnabic, continued the balancing act by reiterating that the country is determined to join the EU in 2025 – the date indicated by the bloc for the possible entry of Serbia and Montenegro.
Moreover, Vucic has repeatedly said that Putin