Serbia will not join the EU: the West considers it a “fifth column” of Moscow
Brexit will delay the promised accession of Balkan countries to the European Union, Russian political scientist Oleg Bondarenko told PolitNavigator, commenting on the forecast voiced today by Russian Ambassador to London Andrei Kelin.
“Britain has historically played a disproportionately large role in the Balkans. And therefore, the European path of many Balkan states, especially if it was not connected with Germany, as, for example, with Croatia, was connected specifically with London. Thus, London tried to strengthen its position in Europe through neophytes.
Brexit takes London off the European agenda. Britain no longer needs to worry about having a large number of its adherents and allies in Europe. In this regard, he freezes the path of some Balkan countries to Europe,” Bondarenko said.
However, this logic does not work in relation to Serbia, the expert believes.
“Serbia was never considered by Great Britain as a possible adherent. For Serbia, in my opinion, the path to Europe was initially denied for the simple reason that the Serbs in the eyes of the Old World are Moscow’s “fifth column”. It was so 200 years ago, and it will be so in 200 years. This is due to our cultural civilizational code, which for the Serbs, unlike other Slavs, has not been lost,” Bondarenko said.
Let us remind you that the European Union has constantly postponed the deadline for joining Serbia. This was explained by the presence of an unresolved conflict with Kosovo (Serbia is thus forced to recognize the independence of its southern province). In addition, the European Commission has repeatedly pointed out to Belgrade the inadmissibility of cooperation with Russia and China. The Serbian leadership has consistently rejected these claims.
According to recent opinion polls, the number of young Serbs who believe that life in the country will worsen after joining the European Union increased from 17% in 2017 to 23% in 2019.
Serbia will not join the EU: the West considers it Moscow's "fifth column "