Serbia's Stance on NATO and the EU

Serbia's new defense minister, Aleksandar Vucic, announced in his first public address Aug. 1 that Serbia would not be a member of any military alliance, that there would be no changes in the country's military policy and that Serbia would remain militarily neutral, suggesting that Belgrade will not apply for NATO accession in the near future. Vucic also said that the Serbian army would continue cooperating with the United States and that Serbia would also continue to cooperate with Russia. The statements came the same day as a deadly accident at a Serbian army barracks on Mount Kopaonik, where two soldiers were killed when a NATO cluster bomb, left over from the 1999 bombing of Kosovo, exploded. The incident is yet another a reminder of what Vucic called a crime against the people of Serbia.

Vucic's announcement about the country's military stance must be viewed in a particular political context. In late May, Tomislav Nikolic, a nationalist leader close to former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, was elected president. Nikolic is a highly controversial figure because of his persistent calls for creating a Greater Serbia and his strong defense of Serbia's claims over Kosovo. For its part, the European Union has demanded that Serbia reach an agreement with Kosovo before the former is granted full EU membership. Serbia will make gestures of goodwill to Kosovo to placate the European Union, but Belgrade will not make substantial progress toward recognizing Kosovo's independence.