Double standards of Western politics: Why do they expect Serbia to give in under pressure regarding Kosovo?

Western officials do not miss the opportunity to emphasize that in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, both sides are equal, that there are no "favorites" and privileged ones, and that it is known what the obligations are that they should fulfill. However, what happens in practice, including the last meeting at the high political level in Brussels, where the Pristina side once again obstructed the progress regarding the Community of Serbian Municipalities, and especially bearing in mind the West's position on the issue of Ukraine, imposes the impression of double standards on the part of Western international representatives.

The interlocutors of Kosovo Online agree that there are double standards in Western politics and that Serbia is constantly expected to give in under pressure.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, instead of taking the first steps towards the formation of the CSM after the presentation of the draft CSM Statute in Brussels, dissolved the Management Team and for that only received a "verbal warning" from the EU spokesperson Peter Stan that it "violated the spirit of the agreement from the dialogue". Stano, admittedly, emphasized that the Management Team must exist until the CSM is formed, but that is where, at least for now, the reaction of the international representatives ended.

On the other hand, there are messages that Belgrade and Pristina must meet in the middle of the road when it comes to the CSM and that talks about something that was negotiated and agreed ten years ago - the principles and competences of the Community - will continue in a few days in Brussels.

For Dejan S. Miletic from the Center for the Study of Globalization, there is no doubt that to the constructive approach and the extended hand of Serbia, which is doing everything to ensure stability and perspective for all citizens in the region, the international community constantly abuses and increases the pressure on Belgrade as a response.

"On the other hand, Pristina does not offer any solutions, they only see a chance in this conflict potential and their role in it. Unlike Serbia, which is looking to secure a better future, to find a solution. But the West sees there as room for pressure on Serbia, and our giving in and our attitude towards the future and development gives them a reason to further blackmail Serbia and to expect it to be the one to give in. Because we can lose much more than the other side can with its negative and with a destructive approach", says Miletic.

Miletic points out that it is an unfair game and that Serbia, despite the fact that it is committed to building a better future and does not want to jeopardize it, clearly demonstrates that it is determined to defend its interests.

He also referred to the rhetoric used by Western officials in relation to the Community of Serbian Municipalities, saying for months that it was the first step in the normalization of relations and that Pristina would have to implement that obligation.

"They are strong in their words, but in practice nothing happens to put pressure on Pristina to stop the process. It is, I'm afraid, manipulation and a dishonorable attitude towards dialogue. The double standards have crossed every limit of tolerance, that's something that is unsustainable and that unmasks their intentions in the dialogue. At the same time, it somehow ties Serbia's hands so that it can no longer participate in all this in a diplomatic, statesmanlike way, but simply has to look at them all as a group of people who have bad intentions, and not as people who want to bring stability and peace to these areas. It turns out that fraudsters are sitting on the other side of the table," says Miletic.

He says that not only are both sides not treated equally in the dialogue, as claimed by international mediators, but Pristina is constantly supported and stimulated to "obstruct, lie and cheat".

"The West contributed to this by its actions. I have in mind the approval of visa liberalization for Kosovo on the tenth anniversary of the signing of the Brussels Agreement, which Pristina did not fulfill, as well as the initiation of the procedure for their admission to the Council of Europe, the relationship with the Serbian people in the north of Kosovo, the holding of elections in Serbian municipalities under long pipes and in containers, which are declared legitimate and legal. All this is a provisional measure that should lead to the Serbs giving in and moving out of that area," says Miletic.

When it comes to whether all Western countries equally lead the policy of double standards and see Serbia as a "target" on which the greatest pressure should be exerted, Miletic says that it is more or less the case, but that there are some differences in approach.

"One gets the impression that the position of the American ambassador to Serbia, Christopher Hill, is the most objective of all those diplomatic representatives. However, fundamentally, all that most international representatives do is an attempt to manipulate Serbia, deceive and create a new reality", says our interlocutor.

He adds that for now there are no indications that the policy of double standards will change. He points out that "as long as we can maintain that strategic patience and as long as we think it makes sense, as a state we will do it, but we have less and less room for maneuver and we must clearly say that it cannot be done that way, by amnestying the Pristina side for everything, to achieve any progress".

Research associate of the Institute for International Politics and Economy, Aleksandar Mitic, assessed for Kosovo Online that the Western narrative about everything that is happening in the territory of the former Yugoslavia is "strongly based on the guilt of the Serbian people and the historical punishment that must be carried out on them".

"Therefore, the double standards of the West in relation to the Serbian national question are fully expected. It is certain that the West will never give up on "washing up" its shameful, destructive role in the disintegration of Yugoslavia in the early 90s, in the NATO aggression in 1999 and the attempt to seize Kosovo and Metohija from Serbia in 2008, which, at the height of its power, brutally and irretrievably destroyed international law. That is why, through ultimatums, pressures and hybrid threats, he wants Belgrade to give its consent to the normalization of relations with the Albanians in Pristina," Mitic said.

He added that the latest geopolitical context, the conflict in Ukraine, is a special motive for the political West when it comes to policy towards Serbia.

"Namely, the agreement between Belgrade and Pristina according to Western modality and rules would legitimize NATO aggression. In addition, it would legalize the case of Kosovo as a sui generis – a unique case, and take out of Moscow's hands the argument about double standards regarding respect for the territorial integrity of Serbia and Ukraine. At the same time, in this way, the double standard regarding the territorial integrity of the Serbian people would be legitimized - according to which the Albanians can declare the independence of Kosovo, and the Serbs cannot declare the independence of the Republika Srpska," Mitic said.

He pointed out that it is necessary to emphasize that the policy of double standards is exclusively the policy of the West, but not of the rest of the world, that is, that it does not have majority support at the global level, which is extremely important in the context of the rise of multipolarity.