Russian PM reiterates support for Serbia ahead of Eurasian free trade deal
During a visit to Belgrade over the weekend, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has reconfirmed his support for Serbia and announced that there would be a free trade deal between the country and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).
Mr Medvedev was in the country for the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Belgrade in World War II. During a speech, he repeated Russia’s stance on respecting Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty in Kosovo, whose independence, declared in 2008, is still not recognised by Serbia or Russia.
There was also a parade highlighting Serbia's military credentials and the announcement that around a dozen bilateral agreements were to be signed.
Mr Medvedev said that Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabić will sign a free trade agreement with the EAEU on 25 October, which will "function on equal grounds" and realise the "pragmatic interests of its members".
The Eurasian Economic Union, in its current form, came into being in May 2014. Its members are Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. The free trade agreement will give Serbia access to a market consisting of more than 180 million customers.
Serbia, which already had long standing free trade deals with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan began free trade negotiations with the EAEU in 2016. The resolution this Spring of some controversial issues related to quotas of cheese and brandy paved the way for the deal to be signed.
Currently trade between Serbia and the EAEU countries is worth around €2.7-billion, the vast majority of which is with Russia.
Serbia is an EU candidate country and is still able to make free trade deals. However, these deals will be invalid upon the country's entry into the European Union and the bloc's own free-trade deals supplant any national ones.
Nonetheless, the EU tends to look unfavourably on what it considers to be too much cooperation between membership candidate countries and third countries. China, Russia and Turkey have all been stepping up their presence in the Balkans in recent years, and Serbia has been of particular interest.
However, the EU is still Serbia's biggest trading partner, investor and donor, despite public perception sometimes having a differing opinion.
Several prominent officials across the EU and Europe have highlighted Serbia's contradictory actions. Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčak said that the country's dealings with the EAEU were "confusing".
“If you are serious about your European orientation then obviously you make political decisions that bring you closer to it. This is not one of them,” Lajčak was quoted as saying by AP after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in late August.
During his speech in Belgrade, Medvedev said that imposing a choice between the East and the West on countries was wrong and that a nation should be able to act in accordance with its own interests.
On the subject of Kosovo, the Russian Prime MInister said that his country fully supports Serbia and would be prepared to help out in any way possible to preserve its sovereignty and integrity.
“We want stable Balkans and cooperation with all countries in the Balkans,” Medvedev said in a speech in the Serbian parliament.
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