Deputy PM: Serbia declines EU membership if it means fighting Russia

Serbia will never go to war with Russia in exchange for European Union membership, the country’s Deputy Prime Minister, Aleksandar Vulin, told the European Parliament on April 9.

Speaking during a session in Strasbourg, Vulin criticised the EU's stance on the region, claiming that Serbia had complied with every demand from the Union for the past 20 years, only to see Ukraine and Moldova granted the prospect of full EU membership despite not meeting any criteria, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

"It seems the only condition for joining the EU is a war with Russia, and we will not fulfil that condition," Vulin declared.

He expressed regret over the EU's assumption that Serbia might impose sanctions on Russia over a conflict that could have been avoided had the Minsk Agreements been respected.

"I regret that you even thought we might stoop to such measures," Vulin said, addressing the European lawmakers.

As a reminder, ​Serbia officially applied for European Union (EU) membership on December 22, 2009. Former President Boris Tadic applied Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt during Sweden's EU presidency. 

This application marked a significant step in Serbia's efforts to overcome the isolation of the 1990s Balkan conflicts. At that time, Serbia had made progress in meeting political criteria and addressing key European Partnership priorities, including improving cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

However, Serbia still faced challenges, notably the need to arrest two remaining war fugitives, which were considered major hurdles before membership negotiations could begin in earnest. Despite these challenges, Serbia was granted candidate status in March 2012, and accession negotiations formally commenced in January 2014.

By Aghakazim Guliyev