yugoslavias implosion

February 2007 address at the Munich Conference on Security Policy
heralded a new Russian energy policy that implied a new approach
toward the Balkans as well. 478 Russia’s policy under Yeltsin was
compatible with the West’s in spite of their previous confrontation
over the Balkans during the life of the ussr. Putin, however, promised
Serbian politicians that he would veto any new Kosovo-related
un Security Council resolution. That promise strengthened the
conviction of Serbian politicians that Kosovo’s partition was feasible.
Koštunica openly advocated that Serbia declare itself neutral
(like the neutrality embraced in the past by countries such as Austria
and Sweden) but rely strongly on Russia. Russia’s tactics in the
un Security Council over the final status of Kosovo were motivated
not by concerns about Serbia’s sovereignty over Kosovo but rather
by raising Russia’s stature as a major international player in competition
with the United States. In this context, as Janusz Bugajski puts
it, Serbia is manipulated by Russia as a valuable bridgehead within
southeast Europe to further its economic and political designs. Serbia
has evolved into a strategic experiment for Moscow in the heart of
the Balkans to challenge Western encroachment and increase Russia’s
leverage in the region. 479
Bilateral relations with Russia are considered by the Serbian elite
to be their country’s most important relationship. According to Vuk
Jeremić, foreign minister of Serbia, those relations “have lasted for
centuries and are exceptionally close, partnerlike and brotherly” and
have a “spiritual dimension.” 480 Koštunica as prime minister favored
becoming part of the eu’s Stabilization and Association Agreement
478 Putin said that “One state and, of course, first and foremost the United States, has overstepped
its national borders in every way . This is visible in the economic, political, cultural and
educational policies it imposes on other nations .” Putin’s speech at Munich Security
Conference, 10 February 2007 . see full text of the speech at http://www .securityconference .de/
archive/konferenzen/rede .php?menu_2007=&menu_konferenzen=&sprache=en&id=179&
479 Janusz Bugajski, Expanding Eurasia – Russia’s European
Ambitions, CSIS, Washington, 2008, p . 155 .
480 NIN, 18 December 2008
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