The European Union and the United States have questioned Serbia’s proclaimed commitment to join Europe’s 27-nation bloc after Belgrade signed an agreement with Moscow pledging long-term “consultations” on foreign policy matters amid Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Serbia’s officials signed the deal on Friday in New York with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, where most Western delegations shunned Russia’s top diplomat over the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Nikola Selakovic signed the document dubbed a “plan on consultations”. He said the plan envisages consultations on bilateral and multilateral activities, though there was nothing on security policies in it. Serbian opposition parties criticised the document.
Serbia’s foreign ministry has sought to downplay the importance of the signed agreement, saying it is a “technical” one and relates to bilateral ties and not security issues.
Although Serbia said it supports Ukraine’s territorial integrity, its right-wing government has repeatedly refused to join Western sanctions against Slavic ally Russia. Aligning foreign policies with the EU is one of the main conditions for joining the bloc, but Serbia has increasingly defied calls to do so.
Credit: Aljazeera.com
