Lavrov: All the problems of the Balkans originate from the West, ever since the breakup of the former Yugoslavia

According to him, the West has always had an interest in inciting nations against each other

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Lavrov, Photo: Reuters
Lavrov, Photo: Reuters
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.
Ažurirano: 01.12.2023. 12:59h

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Sergey Lavrov, assessed today in Skopje that all the problems the Balkans are facing originate from the West, since the time of the breakup of the former Yugoslavia.

Lavrov, at a press conference on the sidelines of the OSCE Ministerial Council, said that he is not a great expert on Macedonian-Bulgarian relations, but that according to him, the problems in the region have their roots in the West, that is, after the breakup of Yugoslavia.

"I am not a great expert on Macedonian-Bulgarian relations, I can only say that the people of Macedonia have every right to be equal in all activities on our common continent. And not only for relations between Bulgaria and Macedonia, but for all Balkan countries, I would say that the root of all Balkan problems lies in the behavior of the Western powers," he said when asked by the MIA agency.

According to him, the West has always had an interest in inciting nations against each other.

"I am convinced that the peoples of the Balkan Peninsula have gone through difficult historical transitions, that they have a common code and that they must not be defeated or allow the West to become enemies of each other," Lavrov said.

The Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs encouraged the ethnic groups in the Balkans to live peacefully and to suppress all nationalist ambitions and urged them not to join the sanctions against Russia, only to, as he said, fulfill certain Western ambitions.

Serbia will not open a new chapter with the EU if it does not impose sanctions on Russia

Lavrov assessed that "Serbia will not open any new chapter in negotiations with the European Union (EU) unless it imposes sanctions on Russia".

Although it is a candidate for EU membership, Serbia refuses to impose sanctions on the Kremlin for its invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022. Along with Turkey, it is the only EU candidate country that has not imposed sanctions on Russia.

"If you want to join the EU, I don't think you will open a new chapter if you don't follow all EU decisions, including sanctions against Russia," Lavrov said at a press conference.

On November 8, Serbia was officially handed the European Commission's progress report, the most important document that is drawn up annually for candidate countries.

With a warning that Serbia has not fulfilled the requirement to impose sanctions on Russia and that it needs to implement the obligations from the dialogue with Kosovo, the Brussels report records bad marks in the key chapters 23 and 24 on the rule of law.

The European Commission stated that no progress has been made in harmonizing foreign policy, which is expected of candidate countries. First of all, it is emphasized that since February 2022, no restrictive measures have been introduced against Russia due to its aggression against Ukraine.

Speaking about Serbia's European integration, Lavrov said that the EU is "convincing the Serbs to accept Kosovo becoming a member of international organizations."

Lavrov also commented on the dialogue on the normalization of relations, which, along with the EU, is being conducted between Belgrade and Pristina, pointing out that "ten years ago an agreement was reached on the status of Serbian municipalities in Kosovo and that after ten years nothing has happened, because the Kosovo side categorically refuses to fulfill obligations".

"Did the EU ask for something from the Kosovo side? No. The EU only had requests from the Serbian community. They have already brought a document that differs and contains different principles from what was agreed between Belgrade and Pristina," Lavrov said.

Since 2014, when Serbia officially started negotiations with the EU, Brussels has highlighted the relationship between Belgrade and Pristina as one of the main obstacles in European integration.

Negotiations between the two countries are conducted under the auspices of the EU, and Serbia does not recognize the independence of the former southern province, declared in 2008.

Moscow sees no signs that Kiev is ready to move towards a political solution

At the press conference in Skopje, the head of Russian diplomacy also continued to accuse the West, stating that it is to blame for the disputes in Europe and the isolation of Russia due to the war in Ukraine.

He said Moscow saw no signs that Kiev was ready to move toward a political solution and that there was no reason for Russia to change the goals of its "special military operation," as Russia calls the war in Ukraine.

"So far, there is no signal either from Kiev or from the Western masters that these talks will continue. Zelenskiy received an 18-month ban that prohibits such negotiations. It takes two people to start a political process, but the people on the other side do not want to participate in tango, and it takes two to tango," Lavrov said.

Blinken and Borelj are cowards

Lavrov called the US and EU foreign ministers, Anthony Blinken and Josep Borelj, cowards, because they avoided meeting him in Skopje.

Lavrov said this at a press conference on the sidelines of the two-day Ministerial Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), emphasizing that Blinken and Borelj left Skopje before he came.

He noted that Blinken and Borelj were at an informal dinner on Wednesday before the start of the meeting, but that they were not at the official session of the Ministerial Council yesterday and today.

"The opening of the meeting was yesterday morning, not the night before. I was at the opening with all my colleagues, but we were not present at the dinner. In the morning, there was no Ukrainian minister, nor representatives of the Baltic states. Secretary Blinken and Borelj left. Why did they do that "Maybe they want to emphasize the intention to isolate Russia, but I think they are just cowards," Lavrov said.

According to the head of Russian diplomacy, Blinken and Borelj are "afraid of an open conversation supported by facts".

"This kind of fear of theirs also explains the attempts not to give visas to our diplomats for UN meetings in New York and at various sessions in Paris. During these two years of war against Russia, we have not heard or seen a single reasonable argument, and yesterday (at the Council ) presented a series of facts," Lavrov said.

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