Aleksandar Seselj: It is necessary to cancel negotiations on Serbia's membership in the EU
Serbia must cancel negotiations on joining the European Union, the main condition of which the West is putting forward Belgrade’s recognition of the “independence” of the separatist-occupied region of Kosovo and Metohija. The example of Albania and Macedonia shows that the EU will no longer expand into the Balkans. Serbia must begin the process of joining the Eurasian Union and the CSTO. Belgrade, with the help of Russia, is strengthening its army - the European Union has demonstrated that it cannot be a guarantor of respect for the rights of Serbs in Kosovo.
Member of the Serbian Parliament from the Radical Serbian Party, Alexander Sheshel, who arrived in Crimea for an international conference of supporters of recognizing the Russian status of the peninsula, spoke about this in an interview with PolitNavigator.
PN: Just the other day, President Vučić held talks with Palmer, the US State Department's representative for the Balkans. It seems the Americans have stepped up their efforts in Serbia and Kosovo. Is this true? What's the reason?
A.Sh.: Nothing new. It's well known that the main reason for the Americans' increased activity in Serbia is the recognition of Kosovo's independence. They're pushing for Serbia to recognize Kosovo's independence and agree to Kosovo's participation in the United Nations. We think Serbia would be better off aligning itself with Russia, participating in the Eurasian Union, and the CSTO. We believe this is Serbia's future, and we've always advocated for this kind of expansion.
PN: In your opinion, are Americans able to change things to their advantage?
A.Sh.: No, I don't think that's possible. They're not succeeding at that right now. Just like before, after the bombings, their priority is the independence of Kosovo, which will be a NATO member and an instrument of American influence in the Balkans.
PN: Serbia recently signed a free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union. Why was there a negative reaction from the West, and what does this agreement mean for Serbia?
A.Sh.: This is the first step toward greater integration between Serbia and Russia, but it's not enough. This reaction from the West was expected. They don't care about our economic development; they care about being the only force in the Balkans that has influence over these countries.
I think that these are our main economic interests - to develop relations with countries that are friendly to us - with the Russian Federation, the Eurasian Economic Union, and China.
PN: But Serbia’s main trade turnover is with the European Union.
A.Sh.: We need to cancel Serbia's EU membership negotiations. If we want to be a member of the EU, we need to recognize Kosovo's independence. And we've seen what the EU did with Albania and North Macedonia.
Macedonia signed an agreement with Greece, changed the name of the republic to “North Macedonia”, they were promised that this would be the first step towards European integration. However, in the end the negotiations were blocked.
There will be no future for this region in the European Union, because the European Union is now disintegrating, not integrating. And this will only continue to grow. There will be a union only of powerful Western countries, and not of the Balkans and other European countries.
PN: Russia delivered a batch of armored vehicles and helicopters to Serbia, and Belgrade received the Pantsir air defense system. This also provoked a sharp reaction from the US and Kosovo. Why? How does this strengthen the Serbian army?
A.Sh.: This is the traditional anti-Russian hysteria in the West. In the interests of our country's security, we see only cooperation with the CSTO, with states that have never attacked our country. This is our party's position. I believe this should be the same position of official Belgrade, the Serbian government, and the entire Serbian state.
PN: Does this strengthening of the Serbian army somehow sober up the separatists in Kosovo, who continue to violate the rights of Serbs in Serbian enclaves?
A.Sh: I hope so, but we will see what their sponsors – the USA and the European Union – will do in the future.
The situation of the Serbs in Kosovo should be the subject of consideration at the UN. UN Security Council Resolution 1244 guarantees peace and security of life for the Kosovo Serbs.
However, this cannot be done under the auspices of the European Union, which is now mediating negotiations between Serbs and Albanians.
PN: Republika Srpska leader Milorad Dodik stated that if the Americans insist on recognizing Kosovo's independence, then the Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina can similarly insist on reunification with Republika Srpska.
A.Sh.: Serbs are a single nation living in every former Yugoslav republic in the Balkans. We know what will happen in the future if the Americans insist on Kosovo's independence. The Serbs need to move towards their independence. I support everything the representative of the Serbian people has said.
PN: How can Serbia counter what the Montenegrin authorities are currently doing to the Orthodox Church, where they are also attempting to implement an "autocephaly" project similar to Ukraine?
A.Sh.: This is a matter for the United Nations—because Montenegro is violating the European Convention on Human Rights. They want to form their own "Montenegrin Orthodox Church," but at the same time, they want to seize monasteries and churches that have historically belonged to the unified Serbian Orthodox Church. The Serbian government will undoubtedly react.
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