Jovanovic: Serbia should remain non-aligned, the crisis will not bypass us

Photo: Tanjug/Zoran Zestic

The leader of the New Democratic Party of Serbia, Milos Jovanovic, said that Serbia should remain non-aligned in the crisis between the West and Russia because, as he says, that is in its national interest, adding that the crisis will not bypass Serbia and that we should look for ways to come out of it least damaged.

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Commenting on President Aleksandar Vucic's messages in his speech after taking the oath of office, Jovanovic said that nothing new was heard in the speech except a continuity of a policy, which, in his opinion, is not completely clear, except that Serbia is not a big and strong country and must swim between the East and the West.

"But, that 'Obrenovic' policy has its limits, and this serious crisis narrows the room for maneuver," Jovanovic said for Tanjug last night.

According to him, from Vucic's speech the final stance of Serbia remained unclear and the country will have to clarify its "clear-unclear" policy.

"We cannot say that Europe has no alternative, and pull back when we need to harmonize our foreign policy with EU's foreign policy," stated Jovanovic.

He said that the slogan "both Kosovo and the EU" is not possible and accepting and recognizing secession of Kosovo and Metohija is expected of Serbia on the European path through, as he stated, a legally binding agreement modeled after two Germanys.

Jovanovic said that it would be "desirable and healthy" to open a broad debate on the European path in Serbia, whether that perspective really exists, and what the price is.

He reiterated that the position is that Serbia should cooperate with the EU and that this cooperation is desirable in every segment, as well as that there are models of cooperation without membership, which, he says, is not even in sight.

"The EU will not expand in the foreseeable future, certainly not before the institutional reform of the EU, and that takes years. Serbia's membership in the EU is not on the agenda in the short or the long term, yet we are supposed to pay for our potential membership by recognizing Kosovo's secession," claims Jovanovic.

(Telegraf.rs)