US President Donald Trump, during his stay in Davos at the World Economic Forum, stated that "everyone who participated in the theft of the 2020 election", where, as he claims, his victory was stolen through Dominion machines, "will be brought to justice". Portal Nova.rs writes that Trump thus practically deepened the "conflict" with Serbia again, because the very company that controlled the vote at that time is connected to Belgrade.
While political analyst Dušan Janjić says that "one IP address from Serbia was used for the campaign against Trump", foreign policy commentator Boško Jakšić points out for Nova that this very topic is the most sensitive and perhaps the biggest obstacle in the relationship between Washington and Belgrade.
The World Economic Forum was held in Davos on Wednesday, attended by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and US President Donald Trump. His arrival and speech were marked by harsh messages addressed to Europe, Denmark, and certain allies within the NATO alliance.
Then, Trump unexpectedly touched on the 2020 US election theft scandal, with which, as Nova writes, Belgrade has been linked.
"Everyone involved in the theft of the 2020 election, when my victory was stolen through Dominion machines, will be brought to justice. The investigation is nearing completion," Trump said from the podium.
Why might Serbia, or rather President Vučić, feel called out by this statement?
Precisely due to the fact that during the 2020 US presidential election, which was won by Joseph Biden, the company "Dominion Voting Systems", which has its European headquarters in Belgrade, was hired to count the votes.
At the time, Trump's supporters linked the then-president's defeat to that company, claiming that people from Serbia were behind it.
Speaking about this, political analyst Dušan Janjić told the Beta agency that he holds the Security and Information Agency (BIA) and Aleksandar Vučić responsible for the election rigging, and that after the US president's speech in Davos, it is absolutely clear that the investigation into election rigging is ongoing and includes Belgrade.
"So far, there have been several announcements about launching an investigation into the theft of the US presidential election, via social media, and that an IP address from Serbia was used for the campaign against Trump. This has not been confirmed so far, but after President Trump's speech in Davos yesterday, it is now absolutely clear that the investigation is ongoing and includes Belgrade," said Janjić, adding:
"The question is how far the investigation will go and whether it will also include Aleksandar Vučić, who controls everything in Serbia. That would be a very difficult situation for Vučić, because it would show that one country is conducting a cyber-criminal action against another country, in this case against the US for the position of president. Who will be included in the criminal prosecution will be decided by the US prosecutor."
“The story of election rigging is the most sensitive”
On the other hand, foreign policy commentator Boško Jakšić tells Nova that the story of election rigging in the US is the most sensitive and that it is perhaps the biggest obstacle to true rapprochement and partnership between Washington and Belgrade.
"Trump is very vindictive and we saw that through a series of moves that followed in May last year. That Vučić attempt to enter the donor dinner. After that, Vučić was not invited to the photo session of 145 world leaders who, with Trump, become the United Nations General Assembly. The American ambassador, who was supposed to represent a good service, was recalled. Customs duties were introduced on Serbia, at 35 percent, which is the highest in the region," he says and points out:
"There was also pressure around the General Staff, which Jared Kushner certainly doesn't like because he lost that job. Of course, that contributes to some cooling, but when you draw the line, regardless of all that, this seems like an offer from the Americans to bring Serbia closer to Washington and away from Europe. I think that's an offer that should be rejected at all costs."
Jakšić assesses that, after the statement by Trump's special envoy for missions, Richard Grenell, in which he said that Serbia should turn to the United States and leave the European Union, it became clear that the administration in Washington sees Serbia as part of the so-called "Western Hemisphere".
"It will also be governed and ruled by Donald Trump. What does that mean? Well, it means absolute obedience to Trump and all his demands. Whether they concern natural resources or political obedience, that is a great challenge for Serbian diplomacy, because we see that Serbia has failed to harmonize its foreign policy with the policy of the European Union on many issues. So the challenge is whether it is ready to comply with everything that Trump would ask of it," concludes Jakšić.
Serbia not invited to Trump's "Committee for Peace"
In the sea of information that, as Nova writes, has burdened the already complex relations between Serbia and the United States in recent months, additional attention is being drawn to the fact that Serbia was not invited to Trump's "Committee for Peace".
According to US media, in January, Trump invited leaders from around 60 countries to join the body. Some countries have already confirmed their participation, some are still considering the invitation, while France immediately announced that it was declining it. However, Serbia is not on the list of invitees, while Kosovo has received an invitation.
Dinner with Trump "failed"
Relations between Belgrade and Washington have been on shaky ground for almost a year, and the turning point was the Serbian president's attempt to attend Donald Trump's Republican National Committee fundraising dinner, which, according to Nova, he tried to enter under a false name.
Vučić visited the United States in May last year with the stated intention of presenting the current situation in Serbia to the American president. However, that meeting never took place. Moreover, the Serbian president did not meet with any of the more prominent Republican representatives on that occasion.
Shortly thereafter, information emerged that Vučić, allegedly due to deteriorating health, had cut short his stay in the US and returned to Serbia. The media reported that he had fallen ill during his stay in Florida, after which he urgently left the country, which was interpreted as a withdrawal without any political contacts being made.
The “General Staff” Affair
However, that was just the beginning of a further cooling of relations. The General Staff affair further deepened tensions when it was announced that a hotel would be built at that location on Nemanjina Street in Belgrade by Affinity Partners, the investment firm of Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law.
Shortly thereafter, Kushner's company withdrew from the Trump Hotel project in Belgrade, after it sparked public protests and led to the indictment of Culture Minister Nikola Selaković. Affinity Partners said at the time that it was withdrawing "out of respect for the people of Serbia and Belgrade," explaining that "significant projects should unite, not divide."
However, as the New York Times reported, the fact that the decision to withdraw came immediately after indictments of high-ranking government officials for corruption related to the project made the entire deal too risky and compromising for Kouchner's company. Such an assessment contradicted President Vučić's explanation, which shifted responsibility for the project's failure to citizens and the media who publicly opposed him.
Nova reminds that Vučić, "in an attempt to present himself as a relevant actor at the World Economic Forum," participated in one of the panels with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and on that occasion boasted that no one had been to Davos as many times as he had and that this was his 12th participation.
"This is my 12th time, 12th time in Davos. I'm a veteran here. There are no people here who have been so many times. To be honest, I've never seen so many people... People are not applauding anyone, because they are worried about their future. Company representatives, state leaders, prime ministers, members of governments... And no one is rejoicing, no one is smiling, because they don't know what tomorrow will bring to their countries," Vučić said and proudly added:
"I am now, I think, one of 80 people in the world who has been invited more than 10 times and I am always invited and announced as the main guest of the Balkans."
Bonus video:
