Serbia shrugs off pressure from Germany to join EU sanctions on Russia & More News Here

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti shake fingers throughout a information convention in Berlin, Germany May 4, 2022. REUTERS/Hannibal Hanschke

BELGRADE, June 10 (Reuters) – Serbian President Aleksandar Vuvic appeared to rebuff pressure from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Friday for Serbia to join European Union sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, saying he didn’t imagine sanctions to be “efficient”.

Scholz, who’s on a two-day tour of the Western Balkans, mentioned that as an EU membership candidate, Serbia ought to join the bloc in its measures in opposition to Moscow, which all its members have been required to observe.

Speaking on the similar information convention in Belgrade, Vucic mentioned Serbia was in a tough place and that the EU ought to contemplate that Serbia and Russia had long-standing particular ties.

“As far as sanctions are concerned we have different position…. We remember sanctions (against Serbia)and we do not think sanctions are efficient,” Vucic mentioned.

He didn’t say whether or not Serbia deliberate to introduce sanctions on Russia.

On his journey, Scholz promised to assist the Western Balkans to reinvigorate their long-stalled marketing campaign for European Union membership, a transfer aimed toward easing regional tensions and fending off the affect of rival powers equivalent to Russia.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has lent a brand new sense of urgency to the method of to tying Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo nearer to the 27-member EU, whether or not by means of full membership or another group.

Speaking alongside the Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti in Pristina earlier on Friday, Scholz mentioned his authorities had made Kosovo’s EU membership a precedence and would additionally assist its aspiration for EU visa liberalisation.

“It is very important to send a new signal of confidence and hope that this accession process is wanted by the EU with great seriousness, and that it also has a realistic chance if everyone makes an effort,” Scholz mentioned.

Ukraine and neighbouring Moldova have pushed to speed up their very own bids for EU membership because the invasion, elevating questions over whether or not their accession must be fast-tracked or ought to wait their flip after Western Balkan international locations.

EU international locations together with Germany have mentioned there could possibly be no short-cuts to Ukraine’s membership.

“We are also in favour of Ukraine’s membership into the EU. Of course, Ukraine has all the attention and it is in the hearts of everybody who wants peace and democracy because there is a terrible war going on there, an unprovoked and unjustified war,” Kurti mentioned.

“But I believe there must be both (to join EU), Ukraine and Western Balkans,” Kurti mentioned.

Scholz’s go to comes scorching on the heels of that of European Council President Charles Michel and forward of an EU-Western Balkans leaders’ summit on June 23. learn extra

DISILLUSIONMENT

The prospect of EU membership had for years been the principle driver of reform and higher cooperation within the area after a decade of struggle and upheaval within the Nineties, till EU enlargement stalled, spawning disillusionment.

Unresolved conflicts there have given rise to new tensions recently, such because the pro-Russian Bosnian Serbs’ secession plans.

“We will not surrender this region in the heart of Europe to Moscow’s influence,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had mentioned when she paid a go to to the Western Balkans in March.

Florian Bieber, a Balkan skilled at Austria’s University of Graz, mentioned the dearth in progress within the area’s EU membership bids was partly to blame.

“The fact it hasn’t happened is a real problem and the growing influence of other countries like Russia and China is a result of this process not developing,” Bieber mentioned.

He mentioned it now remained to be seen whether or not Scholz’s authorities, which took workplace in December, will push the method ahead or “muddle along” as former chancellor Angela Merkel did by professing assist for the area however doing little to additional it.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had additionally been set to go to Serbia this week, however his go to was cancelled when close by international locations closed their airspace to his flight. learn extra

Scholz is about to journey later to Thessaloniki in Greece to meet representatives of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP), a 12-country Balkan regional physique.

On Saturday, he travels on to North Macedonia and Bulgaria, that are locked in a dispute stopping the beginning of EU accession talks.

Reporting by Sarah Marsh in Berlin and Ivana Sekularac in Belgrade; Additional reporting by Fatos Bytyci, Editing by Alex Richardson and Raissa Kasolowsky

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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