Serbia Rejects Pressure From Germany To Join Eu Sanctions On Russia

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German Chancellor Scholz on a two-day tour of the Western Balkans Solz says as EU candidate, Serbia must join EU sanctions Serbian President Vuvic mentions special ties with Russia Disappointment with the EU, conflicts in the region are increasing

BELGRADE, June 10 (Reuters) – Serbian President Aleksandar Vuvic appeared to reject pressure from German Chancellor Olaf Solz on Friday on Serbia joining EU sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, saying he did not believe sanctions are “effective”. Solz, who is on a two-day tour of the Western Balkans, said that as a candidate for EU membership, Serbia should join the bloc in its anti-Moscow measures, which all members should follow. Speaking at the same press conference in Belgrade, Vucic said that Serbia is in a difficult position and that the EU should consider that Serbia and Russia have long-standing special ties. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register “As far as sanctions are concerned, we have a different position … We remember the sanctions (against Serbia) and we do not believe that the sanctions are effective,” Vucic said. He did not say whether Serbia planned to impose sanctions on Russia. During his trip, Scholz promised to help the Western Balkans revive its long-running European Union campaign, a move aimed at easing regional tensions and denouncing the influence of rival powers such as Russia. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has given a new sense of urgency to the process of joining Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, northern Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo closer to the 27-nation EU, either through full membership or through alternative community. Speaking with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti in Pristina earlier Friday, Solz said his government had prioritized Kosovo’s accession to the EU and would also support its EU visa liberalization ambitions. “It is very important to send a new message of confidence and hope that this accession process is being taken very seriously by the EU and that it also has a realistic chance if everyone makes an effort,” Solz said. Ukraine and neighboring Moldova have stepped up their own bid to join the EU after the invasion, raising questions about whether they should join quickly or wait their turn after the Western Balkans. . EU countries, including Germany, have said there could be no shortcuts to Ukraine’s accession. “We are also in favor of Ukraine joining the EU. Of course, Ukraine has all the attention and is in the hearts of all those who want peace and democracy, because there is a terrible war going on, an unprovoked and unjustified war,” Kurti said. “But I think there has to be both (for EU membership), Ukraine and the Western Balkans,” Kurti said. Scholz’s visit is hot following that of European Council President Charles Michel and ahead of the EU-Western Balkans summit on 23 June. read more

DISAPPOINTMENT

The prospect of EU membership has for years been the main driver of reform and greater cooperation in the region after a decade of war and unrest in the 1990s, until EU enlargement stalled, causing disappointment. Unresolved conflicts there have sparked new tensions in recent times, such as plans to secede from pro-Russian Serbs. “We will not hand over this region in the heart of Europe to Moscow’s influence,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Bayerbock said during a visit to the Western Balkans in March. Florian Bieber, a Balkan specialist at the University of Graz in Austria, said the lack of progress in the region’s EU bid was partly to blame. “The fact that it did not happen is a real problem and the growing influence of other countries such as Russia and China is a result of the lack of progress in this process,” Bieber said. He said it was now clear whether the Soltz government, which took office in December, would move the process forward or “confuse” as former Chancellor Angela Merkel did, saying she supported the region but did little to promote it. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was also scheduled to visit Serbia this week, but his visit was canceled when nearby countries closed their airspace for his flight. read more Scholz will later travel to Thessaloniki, Greece to meet with representatives of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP), a regional body of the 12 Balkan countries. On Saturday, he will travel to northern Macedonia and Bulgaria, which are embroiled in a dispute that is hampering the start of EU accession talks. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report by Sarah Marsh in Berlin and Ivana Sekularac in Belgrade. Additional citation by Fatos Bytyci, Edited by Alex Richardson and Raissa Kasolowsky Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.