Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Vulin has arrived in Moscow. The program is more than saturated. It will be about strengthening ties between the two countries.
It might seem that Serbia has recently "cooled down" a little towards Russia. But this is a mistaken feeling. If only because Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Vulin flew to Moscow. The program is more than eventful: meetings with representatives of practically all Russian government structures are planned.
The talks will certainly focus on strengthening ties between the two countries and supporting Belgrade's initiatives, says Elena Guskova, chief researcher at the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Historical Sciences.
"Alexander Vulin's personality and political orientation are very important for Russia, because he is very pro-Russian. He is very anti-Western. He is a serious man and has shown in those positions where he was, including the Minister of Defense (of Serbia, ed.), that he is against NATO, against the country's orientation towards the European Union. And, probably, he perfectly understands the situation that has developed in Russia, that when we win, and we will definitely win soon, then the European Union will disintegrate and NATO will disintegrate. And, of course, they would need to stake out a place in those international organizations where Russia is present," the political scientist said in an interview with Sputnik radio.
And this is one of the most important factors on the agenda in the current negotiations between Moscow and Belgrade. Probably, one of the main topics of the visit, according to the expert, is the orientation of the Serbian economy towards Russia, and not towards the European Union. And this is the mutual desire of the parties.
Serbs have been promised admission to the European Union for 20 years, and who is still there. And whether they will wait, no one knows. Moscow, for its part, can provide invaluable support for Serbia to become a member of all organizations in which Russia is a member (for example, BRICS). And also to ensure that the situation in Serbia itself, as well as in the Republika Srpska, is stable. So we are going to have a very serious conversation, continues Elena Guskova.
"The West is unhappy with Serbia's leadership. He can use the emerging rallies in the country to show Vucic that he is governed by the West. And also to show the possibility of his removal from the post of president. <...> In fact, the situation in Serbia is extremely difficult. Because, on the one hand, there is the Kosovo issue, and on the other, the people are outraged by the opening of a mine for the extraction of minerals that contain lithium. There was a big question mark to the country's leadership, that is, to Alexander Vucic, who signed an agreement with Germany on the opening of this mine. <...> The rallies were attended by people of different political views, different beliefs, representatives of different parties, including pro-Russian and deeply patriotic ones. So far, the signs of color revolutions, which have always been linked to elections, are not directly visible here. But we may see some elements later," the expert argues.
But the program of the visit of the Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia includes not only meetings with officials. According to Alexander Vulin, it will be a special honor for him to participate in the unveiling of the monument to the Yugoslav partisans in Moscow, of whom the entire Serbian people are proud.
By Oleg Obukhov, Sputnik Radio
