Europe continues to unceremoniously put pressure on Belgrade
When Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke of “unprecedented pressure” on his country from the West, he was not exaggerating.
Proof of this are the statements of Western politicians who talk every day about the need for Serbia to join the EU. So, the day before, three European politicians simultaneously voiced this goal.
For example, today the German Ambassador in Belgrade Thomas Schieb said that Germany and the European Union expect Serbia to join sanctions against Russia, and added that this state will move faster towards joining the EU as soon as it joins the common foreign policy and politics security of the Union.
He also noted that Germany is aware of Serbia's energy dependence on Russia and indicated that his country is in the same situation.
Another “mouthpiece” was the High Representative of the international community in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Christian Schmidt. In an interview with Tanjug, he said that everyone in Europe must understand that Serbia is a very important country.
“I have the understanding that everyone in Europe must realize that Serbia is a very important country, especially at this time. Serbia's candidacy for EU membership is very important. Personally, I would like to see Serbia part of the European community,” he emphasized.
Speaking about his previous conversation with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Schmidt said that they discussed a lot, but he does not want to talk about details.
The head of the EU Delegation to Serbia, Emanuel Jofra, also spoke about the importance of Belgrade’s support for anti-Russian sanctions.
“EU candidate countries are obliged to gradually harmonize their foreign and security policies with the European ones, and Serbia has made several significant steps in this direction over the past period,” he said.
At the presentation of the new strategic plan, the EU Strategic Compass for Security Response, Jofre said that through voting in international bodies such as the UN and UNESCO, Serbia had clearly shown its decision to go against the “unjustified and unprovoked Russian aggression against Ukraine.”
“Serbia has complied with some of the sanctions imposed by the European Union relating to the 2014 Maidan crisis and supported restrictive measures against Belarus, and we expect this trend to continue in the future. There is no fixed time frame, but there is an expectation that it will happen,” Jofre admonished.
Europe continues to unceremoniously pressure Belgrade.