A route had been found for exporting Serbian products to Russia, and goods will be shipped via Turkey, and some Baltic countries, Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management Minister Branislav Nedimović said on Sunday. Nedimović told the Serbian Broadcasting Corporation that the issue with apple exports had been resolved and that …
Read More »Serbia, Russia agree to gas deal in principle, Lavrov says
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Russian President Vladimir Putin have discussed the terms of gas supply arrangements and reached an agreement in principle, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the Bosnian Serb entity TV on Sunday in an interview. The agreement should be elaborated within the companies involved, Lavrov added.
Read More »The Time to Incentivize the Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue is Now
There is a window of opportunity for the EU to revive the stalled dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo – against the backdrop of war in Ukraine and with strong governments in Paris and Berlin. The Kosovo-Serbia dialogue process is lagging again. The last time that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and …
Read More »In Serbia’s Electoral Simulation, the Leader Outstrips the Party
Elections in Serbia are all about the Leader, the “boss.” The Party comes a distant second.Basking in the glow of another election win on April 3, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic told Serbs he was “the proudest man in the county.” The reason for such pride was the 59.3 per cent …
Read More »Ukraine War May Change Balkan Calculations, for Greece Too
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, experts say the EU and US will want to shore up the stability and Euro-Atlantic orientation of the Western Balkans against any Russian meddling. So might Greece finally recognise Kosovo?Acall by Kosovo for accelerated accession to NATO reflects heightened concern over the stability of the …
Read More »Serbia’s Days of Hedging Between the EU and Russia Might Be Over
The European Union has spent much of the past decade divided and impotent, as it flailed its way through a series of seemingly never-ending crises. But Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine last week appears to have reenergized the bloc, leading to the emergence of a newly assertive EU bound together …
Read More »Presidential Challenger says Serbia Faces Vote between ‘Good and Evil’
Military veteran Zdravko Ponos, an opposition candidate for president in an election in April, tells BIRN that Serbia will struggle to recover from five more years of Aleksandar Vucic. As a candidate for Serbia’s highest office, Zdravko Ponos could hardly have a better biography: a highly-educated military man, former head …
Read More »Big Brother: Serbia’s Media Are Creating Nation of China Lovers
The political elites in Belgrade have made good use of the politically controlled media to transform China’s image in the country. Close connections with the Serbian political elite and the favourable presentation of China in Serbian media, especially from outlets close to the Serbian government, have made China one of …
Read More »In Serbia, State’s Ties to Crime Become Hard to Miss
Under Aleksandar Vucic’s Progressives, the line between the state and organised crime has become increasingly blurred, raising the question – is Serbia a mafia state? According to the Hungarian sociologist Balint Magyar, in a ‘mafia state’ “The state itself, at the top, works as a criminal organisation.”
Read More »Serbia’s President Will Struggle to Get Patriarch He Can Control
Serbia’s power-hungry leader will be following the upcoming election of the next Patriarch closely – but the complex electoral system means there’s no guarantee he will get the candidate of his choice.
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