Janjić: Vučić received a diplomatic warning in Brussels over Dodik

(Patria) - The protests in Serbia, as well as events in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo, have nonetheless drawn the attention of international politics, writes Deutsche Welle (DW).

After months of ignoring the student and civic uprising, some Western politicians have also spoken out, offering, among other things, support for the territorial integrity of BiH, as well as a kind of cautious commentary on the wave of discontent on the streets of Serbia.

It has become, it seems, somewhat clear that support for Aleksandar Vučić's "stabilocracy" is not a great guarantee of regional stability, and direct meetings between certain international officials and the Serbian president are now frequent.

Serbia - a factor of instability

The details of these meetings have mostly not been presented to the public, aside from the usual phrases about readiness to improve cooperation and support peace, but it is certainly interesting that within a span of only about fifteen days, the second conversation between NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Aleksandar Vučić has taken place.

As Dušan Janjić from the Forum for Ethnic Relations assesses for DW, this is a sure sign that the first topic of that meeting was Serbia.

- It is becoming evident that Serbia has found itself on the brink of a major security risk and that the behavior of the authorities is contributing to this process, which has also attracted the attention of NATO, because Serbia also has regional significance.

The topic will likely be the (non-)use of sonic weapons and that the authorities do everything to avoid armed conflicts with citizens.

What seems particularly important to me is the warning to bring under control the paramilitary and parapolice forces, which are closely linked to organized crime and the drug business - says Janjić.

Diplomatic warning to Vučić

Vučić said from Brussels that he discussed with Rutte the behavior of KFOR and NATO in Kosovo, as well as the situation in BiH.

Regarding the tense situation in BiH, Janjić believes that Vučić received a "diplomatic warning that time has run out and that there is no more time for the so-called double and triple games of support or non-support for Milorad Dodik."

- This is also a warning, and it falls under Rutte's jurisdiction, that something like Banjska should not happen there either. Serbia must show there that it has clear political positions, and perhaps more than that, show that it has clear security mechanisms for reducing risk - says Janjić.

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos described the meeting in Brussels with Vučić as "constructive" and stated that concrete steps on Serbia's path to the EU and the implementation of the Growth Plan for the Western Balkans were discussed. She also emphasized the importance of civil society and independent media in that process.

Such a formulation will certainly not be met with enthusiasm in the Serbian public, nor were the previous modest statements by EU representatives about the Vučić regime. This will most likely only further deepen distrust of the EU in Serbia.

Lost trust

Janjić, however, points out that it was primarily the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who came under fire for Marta Kos's statements.

- We saw gratitude to those who allegedly protected the safety of all participants, and now we all know that they actually carried out an attack on citizens.

Vučić, on the other hand, cannot say anything new about Serbia's progress in European integration, because they have almost completely stalled - emphasizes Janjić.

He adds that a new fact is that no one believes Vučić anymore.

- He may try to form a new government that would be, on paper, a bit more pro-European and expert-based, but the problem remains that no one in the international community trusts him.

That doubt will persist until some kind of international investigation into what happened on March 15 in Belgrade takes place - Janjić believes.