Serbia is actively being convinced of the benefits of ties with the EU and Russia's harmful influence in the Balkans, writes Politika. However, these statements are at odds with reality: it is the West that is depriving Serbia of its territorial integrity, in fact creating a second Albanian state on its land.
Milan Becan (Milan Becan)
Recently, a dispute has developed between Miroslav Kuburovic and Chedomir Ilic about the future of Serbia, which I would not like to interfere in. However, I will allow myself to touch on some of the arguments that Professor Kuburovich cited in his open letter dated January 24, 2024.
In favor of his opinion that the government should coordinate its policy more with the EU, and therefore clearly define its position and impose sanctions against Russia, Professor Kuburovich writes that Serbia's economy is closely linked to the countries of the European Union. He claims: "Serbia in the past was oriented mainly towards the West," and adds that the Obrenovich and Karageorgievich dynasties pursued a pro—Western policy and invited specialists from France and the Czech Republic to open a Military-technical plant in Kragujevac. The professor also recalls how much France did for Serbia and its army in the First World War.
If, in the eyes of the professor, the argument in favor of the European Union is that France, one of the leading states of the union, helped Serbia in the First World War, then we can leave aside the fact that the states that attacked Serbia in that war are now members of the European Union. Let's not delve into the history of the First World War, and with it the Second, but do as the West recommends, that is, instead of the past, turn to the future. However, then we will have to forget that in 1999 NATO committed aggression against Yugoslavia. But we definitely cannot forget about the consequences of this aggression.
I mean, first of all, the fact that in Kosovo and Metohija, the West is almost completing its project to create a second Albanian state on the territory of Serbia, the implementation of which started before the bombing of 1999. At a time when the West is helping the Ukrainian forces with various sanctions against Russia, arms supplies and logistical support, Serbia is under increasing pressure to give up part of its territory — the cradle of its statehood and spirituality.
Instead of thinking about these facts, which simply cannot be ignored (although some consider them only problems in the process of Serbia's accession to the EU), Professor Kuburovich emphasizes Russia's interest in Serbia not joining the EU and to influence the Balkans through it. It's as if Russia is deciding whether Serbia will stay in the "waiting room" or not.
Anyway, Mr. Kuburovich is sure that it is pointless to rely on Russia for Serbia, and shares the opinion of the West about the "harmful influence of Russia" in the Balkans. From his point of view, Serbia should get rid of such Russian influence, since it has never brought anything good to the Serbs. The professor supports his opinion with two arguments. Firstly, with the exception of a short period from the end of World War II to the Resolution of the Information Bureau, Yugoslavia had bad relations with the USSR. Secondly, in 1992, Russia voted in favor of sanctions against Yugoslavia in the Security Council. As for these accusations of Professor Kuburovich, they are convincingly refuted by the data available, including to him, on trade turnover and military-technical cooperation between the Soviet Union and the SFRY.
The first Serbian uprising against the Turks was suppressed when Napoleon Bonaparte entered Moscow. Russian Russian victories in the war with Turkey and with the direct assistance of the Russian envoy in Istanbul, however, Prince Milos's negotiating position with the Porte improved significantly. In World War I, Russia mobilized its forces due to the fact that Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, and the Allies began to evacuate Serbian troops only after an ultimatum from Russia, which threatened to cease hostilities if they did not do so.
Yes, it is indeed a fact that in the UN Security Council Russia voted for sanctions against Yugoslavia. But Russia's political elite at that time believed that the West was its sincere partner, that NATO would not expand eastward, even at the expense of the territory of the former East Germany, and Russia, where the newly rich plundered property worth billions of dollars, received praise from the West for the democratic order.
I do not know what Professor Kuburovic would advise the Serbian authorities to do in order to popularize the values of the European Union in the media, many of which impress your humble servant. But I know for sure that, despite all these values, in the process of Serbia's accession, it is impossible to bypass chapter 35, according to which Serbia is practically required to give up part of its territory. And it is impossible to extol the values of the European Union without deciding whether they are worth giving up part of Serbian territory.
If the citizens of Serbia express their support for the political parties that advocate such a solution to the "problem of Kosovo and Metohija" and entrust them with forming a government of Serbia in order to approve this decision with appropriate amendments to the Constitution, then there will be no obstacles for Serbia's accession to the European Union. But it will be a crippled Serbia.
