OPEN LETTER/ Come to the dialogue and listen to me speak, otherwise I will cut off your scholarships, you will rot in prison. Please!

 Kliko këtu për të tjera
Voxpress:

Experts: Russia is trying to use the escalation of tensions in Kosovo for its own interests

2022-12-27 22:01:53Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Experts: Russia is trying to use the escalation of tensions in Kosovo for its
New barricades appeared on Tuesday in northern Mitrovica, as tensions rise

Tensions in Serb-majority northern Kosovo have fueled discussions about possible Russian involvement in fueling them, as well as fears of an outbreak of violence that has grown since the start of Russia's aggression in Ukraine.

Serbia is the only European country that has not imposed sanctions on Moscow and counts on its support for claims to Kosovo, whose citizenship has been recognized by the United States and the main countries of the European Union. However, Serbia also aspires to integrate into the European Union, a process that is conditioned by the normalization of relations with Kosovo.

Russian experts say that Moscow, which openly supports Belgrade and does not recognize Kosovo's independence, makes harmful statements that confuse even Serbia's leadership.

Thus, a few days ago, the first vice-chairman of the State Duma Committee for International Affairs, Alexei Chepa, on "Moscow Speaks" radio, invited Serbia to "become part of Russia" in case of a complication of the geopolitical situation in the region. He even asked to wait for a "call from (Aleksandar) Vucic" in this regard.

After that, the spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that Moscow is waiting for Belgrade's reaction regarding the Kremlin's proposal for the normalization of the situation around Kosovo. It seemed too vague.

This is just another evidence of the methods, including provocative demagoguery and planting of disinformation, which the Kremlin resorts to in order to achieve its goals, said the expert on Central and Eastern Europe Ivan Preobrazhensky, regarding the absurd proposal for Serbia to join Russian Federation. According to him, there is a feeling that all representatives of the Russian authorities are rather participants in some propaganda shows on federal television channels, than serious politicians and diplomats.

"Official statements on foreign policy issues coming from Moscow are often the cheapest tabloid propaganda with a clear mixture of irresponsibility, and senior state officials are no exception here," he said. "What can we say about the deputy of the Duma? It is enough to read the posts of the former president of the country, Dmitry Medvedev. So, you can't quarrel not only with all the Western capitals, which has already happened, but also with the same Belgrade, which sometimes, it seems, simply does not know how to react to Russian statements.

Earlier, Dmitry Medvedev, among others, in his post defined the nature of the war in Ukraine as Moscow's confrontation with the West devoted to "Satanism".

At the same time, the Kremlin shows a clear interest in instigating a new conflict and not stability in the Balkans, says Ivan Preobrazhensky. According to him, this is the goal of the efforts of numerous information channels, which massively spread misinformation in every case.

"It seems that Moscow would have no problem instigating a 'hot spot' in the form of an armed conflict between Serbia and Kosovo. And any instability between the two countries reverberates throughout the Balkans. However, so far the Kremlin has nothing to to boast in this direction... His efforts to achieve this goal are in vain. This is mainly due to the fact that all the goals of Belgrade and Pristina are related to the membership in the European Union", he emphasized.

The special relationship between Moscow and Belgrade is based on several factors, thinks political analyst Andrei Okara. According to him, this is primarily an Orthodox cultural heritage and a general "dislike" towards the West.

"In both countries, the idea is quite widespread that the West, led by the United States, allegedly seeks to destroy them," he said in an interview with the Russian Voice of America service. "This is a completely unsustainable idea but it exists - that Serbia and Russia are close both in mentality and in their historical path."

In addition, some imperial complexes are still alive in Belgrade, as well as in Moscow", believes political scientist Okara.

At the same time, in reality, Serbia is a country that aspires to join the European Union, does not imagine itself without Europe and does not want to collide with the West, Andrei Okara emphasized.

"And Russia now very much needs some, if not friends and allies, then at least friendly partners to it, albeit in words. Such countries now practically do not exist, with the exception of North Korea, Iran, Eritrea and similar countries isolated. That's why Belgrade is so valuable to Moscow," he said.

Of course, political scientist Okara points out, the Kremlin would now clearly benefit if another "hot spot" were to be created in Europe. According to him, this could to some extent "overshadow the issue of Ukraine" and would distract part of the public opinion's attention.

"However, we see that efforts to incite conflict between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo have not yet succeeded. There is a feeling that there are forces in Russia that are trying to fuel this conflict. However, despite the complexity of the situation between Kosovo and Belgrade, there are always compromises. And Serbia now clearly does not like the fact that it can be positioned as an ally or collaborator of the Kremlin. This is a very strange and specific friendship," concluded political scientist Andrei Okara./ VOA


Në përputhje me standarded JTI

Video

SHIKO KANALIN NE YOUTUBE
×