For several years now, we have witnessed a public debate about whether the Russian Humanitarian Center in Nis needs to be given a diplomatic status, more precisely, should Russian employees working in this center receive such status. And although the Serbian authorities have not indicated a clear and unequivocal position on this issue for a long time, we can (now with certainty) conclude that the answer is negative, that is, the state leadership of Serbia does not want to provide diplomatic protection to the center’s staff.
The public could make a similar conclusion after President Vucic’s visit to the Kremlin in late 2017 and be assured after the recent visit of the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Belgrade. However, the question arises: where does this solution come from? Why is the status required by the Russians a problem for the government of Serbia?
The Serbian leaders have several times stated that there is no need to provide diplomatic protection to the center in Nis, since it is not an international mission, and besides, they do not want to undermine their “neutral position” and thereby openly stand on the Russian side. On the other hand, the Serbian government allegedly demonstrates its Russophilia and gratitude for the confident Russian support for Kosovo and Metohija by the fact that, despite the pressure, it rejected the European Union’s demand to impose sanctions against the Russian Federation. But this “politically colored” position of the Serbian authorities should be considered in more detail.
Although the European Union, of course, suggested that Serbia join the sanctions against Russia, Serbia is not obliged to do this until it becomes a full member of the EU. By the way, the point of negotiations related to foreign policy has not yet been discussed with Serbia even after four years, during which official negotiations on accession are held. So it can hardly be said that Brussels exerted strong pressure on Serbia on this issue. On the other hand, the Serbian public knows little about the fact that the imposition of sanctions against Russia would have long-term and negative consequences, primarily for the energy sector. And that is the main reason for Serbia’s refusal to impose anti-Russian sanctions.
The European Union imposed sanctions on the economic entities of Russia: they are prohibited from trading, as with their representations in other countries (outside the EU!), That is, with Russian subsidiaries in countries that are not members of the European Union, including candidates for membership, then there is also Serbia. If Serbia imposed sanctions, this would mean that the companies bought by Russian partners in Serbia (primarily those that sell energy, that is, NIS) would be virtually blocked. This would greatly complicate the supply of citizens and economic entities with energy, primarily natural gas. It is easy to imagine what a collapse would have occurred in the country. So precisely because of this scenario, Serbia did not impose sanctions against Russia, and not because of the alleged preservation of some independent political position.
Here it should be clearly noted that, granting Serbia diplomatic status to the Russian center in Nis, it would just make a step towards forming its own independent position. It would show both to the East and to the West that it has the courage to pursue a truly independent and sovereign policy, instead of the hypocritical line that the current and all previous ruling regimes have so far led. After all, what kind of independence and balance can be discussed if NATO has an office in Belgrade, whose staff has diplomatic status? What kind of independence can be said if Serbia has been involved in the NATO Partnership for Peace program for many years, and this treaty is linked by the treaty on the free movement of its troops?
What kind of independence is it, if for the last ten years or more, since Serbia participates in the Partnership for Peace, she took part in 150 military exercises together with NATO forces and in just 12 exercises together with the Russian army? What kind of independence and neutrality can we talk about when part of the territory of Serbia (Kosovo and Metohija) is directly controlled by NATO and there is one of the largest military bases in Europe “Bondsteel”?
Granting diplomatic status to Russian personnel of the humanitarian center is not a priority political issue, but it is an excellent opportunity to prove to citizens of Serbia that its authority is subordinated to Western interests, but at the same time continues to simulate affinity with Russian partners, thereby earning points among pro-Russian voters. All key positions in the state: security services, customs, defense industry, energy – are used not to strengthen the state, but to consolidate the ruling party, which is the most devoted supporter of Western interests.
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