According to a statement by a politician from the Socialist Party of Serbia led by Ivica Dacic, “Serbia has already paid a high price for not introducing sanctions against Russia, and this is becoming unbearable.”
“I cannot accept that I, as a minister, watch the pressure put on the President of the Republic, Aleksandar Vucic, and we keep silent. That is why I support imposing sanctions on Russia. I stand by President Aleksandar Vucic in defending state and national interests, and I fully trust him. Therefore, I am asking the government of Serbia and all ministers to express their opinion on the issue,” underlined the head of the ministry, who believes that it is necessary to decide in which direction the country should move.
Rade Basta also reminded that Serbia also had to face sanctions and its citizens had to endure difficult economic consequences, so he did not want to make a decision on punitive measures until now, because he hoped that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict would end.
“Since the beginning of the war, we have condemned Russian aggression, but at the same time we have protected our national interests in our relationship with Russia. For this reason, in the first round, we did not join the large number of countries that introduced sanctions against the aggressor state. At the same time, the situation is getting more and more complicated every day, and the Western states sharply criticize Serbia for not joining the sanctions,” detailed the Serbian economy minister.
In his opinion, the leadership of Serbia is doing everything to preserve peace and stability. “Economy is key for Serbia, so as Minister of Economy, I say that despite the difficult foreign policy situation, we must maintain economic growth and fight for a better life for our citizens. “Serbia has a serious, responsible and independent policy and will continue to protect its citizens,” he stated.
So far, Serbia is the only European country that has not joined the punitive measures against Russia. This was explained by the historical, religious and cultural relations between Belgrade and Moscow, as well as by the fact that when the West introduced sanctions against Yugoslavia during the 1992-1995 Yugoslav War and the 1998-1999 Kosovo War, they did not bring results. .
The European Union, on the other hand, stated that the process of joining the EU cannot continue until this happens. In this context, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic also spoke about the possibility that even foreign investments may stop. In a television interview last week, the head of state already hinted that Serbia could also introduce sanctions against Moscow, when he said that he would not swear that Serbia would not join the sanctions.