Komersant: Serbia took a big step towards NATO

Kommersant's unnamed sources, close to the ruling circles in Serbia, state that it is unlikely that the President of Serbia, Tomislav Nikolić, will veto the Agreement and decide to confront the Prime Minister, regardless of the fact that he represents stronger pro-Russian positions.
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Aleksandar Vučić, Photo: Betaphoto
Aleksandar Vučić, Photo: Betaphoto
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.
Ažurirano: 17.02.2016. 10:47h

Serbia, which Moscow considers the main ally in the Balkans, has taken a big step towards NATO, according to today's Moscow daily Komersant.

The newspaper states that Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vučić advocated for allied relations with the Alliance, and that the Serbian parliament ratified the Agreement that gives NATO freedom of movement on Serbian territory and diplomatic immunity.

"Thus, Belgrade, without formally rejecting the policy of neutrality, is actively expanding cooperation with NATO," the daily assesses.

Komersant writes that the Agreement raises the cooperation between Belgrade and NATO to a higher level and that the Serbian opposition, "which calls itself pro-Russian, waited for the ratification with a knife".

Kommersant's unnamed sources, close to the ruling circles in Serbia, state that it is unlikely that Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić will veto the Agreement and decide on a confrontation with the Prime Minister, regardless of the fact that he represents stronger pro-Russian positions.

Dnevnik also quotes Serbian analyst Dragomir Anđelković who believes that after the ratification of the agreement with NATO, Serbia should provide the same conditions for Russia - within the humanitarian center in Niš.

The newspaper reminds that the agreement on the conditions of stay of collaborators in the center in Niš was supposed to be signed during the visit of the Russian president to Belgrade in the fall of 2014, but that did not happen.

"At the last moment, the Serbian side insisted that the issue be removed from the agenda," the newspaper writes and adds, referring to sources close to the Government of Serbia, that the signing of the document implied an increase in the center's privileges and the granting of a special status to the personnel.

That status could be interpreted as diplomatic and it would be a new irritating point in Belgrade's relations with the West, the source added.

Komersant assesses that "the prospect of expanding the center in Nis and giving special status to the staff has become even more hazy" after Serbia joined the EU Civil Protection Mechanism last spring.

The paper assesses that the January visit of Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin "did not contribute" to the rapprochement of the positions of Belgrade and Moscow.

"The Moscow guest's statement about the consequences of Serbia's integration into the EU, which Vučić outlined as a strategic goal of the country, irritated Belgrade, and especially the meeting with the radical leader and outspoken opponent of the government, Vojislav Šešelj," the paper writes.

Dnevnik adds that "even the pro-Russian Tomislav Nikolić did not hide his offense" and that he stated that as president he never contacted the Russian opposition.

Kommersant writes that the ratification of the new agreement with NATO "did not go unnoticed" in Moscow, and that the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, told the Beta agency that Moscow "learns that Serbia is developing relations with NATO", and that it expects that " Belgrade to continue the policy of neutrality".

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