What does Congressman Turner's arrival in Belgrade say about the further development of US relations with Serbia?

Aleksandar Vučić i Majkl Tarner
Source: Instagram, Budućnostsrbijeav

The visit of US Congressman Michael Turner to Belgrade, where he met yesterday with the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, is significant in several aspects of the cooperation between Serbia and the USA, which is on an upward trajectory, and also when it comes to the state of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, according to the interlocutors of Kosovo Online.

Given that he is a politician with a rich biography and great influence, who has in his portfolio some of the most important functions in the intelligence and security sector of the USA, in the conversation with President Vucic, Turner had the opportunity to hear first-hand the Serbian side's view on the causes of the crisis in the north of Kosovo, the steps necessary for de-escalation and getting out of the potentially very incendiary situation in which the region finds itself; Professor Dusko Tomic and Assistant Professor from the Faculty of Political Sciences Milan Krstic agree.

After the meeting with Turner, President Vucic stated that he had indicated to the US official that Serbia was putting a lot of effort into the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina with the mediation of the EU because it saw this as the only right way to reach a sustainable agreement and resolve crisis situations caused by the unilateral moves of the Pristina authorities. He thanked the US side for its efforts to calm tensions in Kosovo and pointed out that it was important to say more clearly whose responsibility it was for constantly causing tensions, instead of both sides being constantly called for de-escalation. The topics of the meeting were economic cooperation with the USA, that is, Serbia's desire to establish a strategic dialogue between Belgrade and Washington.

Professor Dusko Tomic from the Faculty of Security and Global Studies of the US University in the United Arab Emirates tells Kosovo Online that Congressman Turner is one of the most important people in the US Congress.

He states that Turner is the head of the Congressional Committee for controlling the work of the US intelligence community, which consists of 17 different agencies, but also a man with an enviable political background. Tomic points out that Turner comes from Ohio, from Dayton, and that he cooperated very well with members of the Marine Corps and all other military forces. Turner is also the Vice-President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, very influential in the US, on Capitol Hill, a man who is very well informed and has a great future ahead of the Republican Party.

"The fact that such a man came to Belgrade and met with the President of Serbia is very significant. With his knowledge, skill, and intelligence at his disposal, Turner can very well 'handle' any situation related to relations between the USA and Serbia. Recently, a lot has been done to improve relations between Serbia and the USA, we must insist on that and work on it in the future," Professor Tomic believes.

According to him, Turner's arrival is particularly significant in the context of security cooperation between Serbia and the USA, but also security in these areas, considering everything that is happening in the region, especially in Kosovo.

"When it comes to the security segment, we have to start from the fact that with our neutral policy, we have made it clear that we are not involved or haven’t taken part in the conflict that exists between Russia and Ukraine. Serbia is one of the few countries that clearly said in the General Assembly of the United Nations that it condemned Russia's act of aggression. When it comes to this, Serbia has clearly defined its positions. In relation to our southern province, we are unequivocal in our position that we will negotiate with our Albanian community living in Kosovo and Metohija and that the conversation is the best way to overcome the problem. And that Belgrade did not respond to every form of obstruction with its own obstruction, but rather by clearly presenting unequivocal positions that we can only get out of the existing situation through dialogue," Tomic notes.

He also says that the meeting between Vucic and Turner was an opportunity to convey to the US official Serbia's determination that it is open to all types of US investments and that it is a stable partner in relations and cooperation.

"Secondly, we are a big partner with the USA in the production of small arms that we export to the USA, which is one of the biggest customers. Because the quality of our arms, we can freely boast about it, is the best in the world. No other can measure with our gunpowder charge, with our grain," Tomic points out.

Turner's visit, he believes, will certainly contribute to further strengthening the foundations of the ever-improving relations between Serbia and the USA, which have been built in recent years.

"This is in the direction of what the US Ambassador in Belgrade, Christopher Hill, is talking about, to build a strategic partnership between the two countries. We are building these relations based on realistic, objective, and adequate approaches in the reality we live in, without denying personal identity. Serbia at no time, that is unequivocal, will give up Kosovo and Metohija, because it is a part of our territory. And if we will negotiate as much as necessary with the representatives of the Albanian community, we will do so. But the agreement on coexistence is something that both have to learn and that we have to persevere in," Tomic says.

In the fact that Turner visited Serbia, but not the US Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, who is currently in the region, Tomic does not see any special message from the US.

"The State Department has precisely planned its timings for when Escobar should come. Now it is up to European Envoy Miroslav Lajcak to do the technical part, and when the agreements need to be finalized, then Escobar will implement all his knowledge and power, through diplomatic missions. When Escobar comes, he sends a clear message from the State Department and what the US expects," Professor Tomic concludes.

Milan Krstic, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Belgrade, also points out that Turner is, without a doubt, a Congressman who has great influence in the security and intelligence domain within US politics. He states that Turner has been in the US House of Representatives for more than two decades and that since January of this year and the formation of the Republican majority in Congress, he has been leading the very important Committee for Intelligence Affairs, and is a member of other important committees in the field of security policy, as well as other bodies, such as the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.

"It is an indicator of the connection with a large number of cadres within the USA, especially from the Republican Party, which Serbia has quite successfully carried out in the last few years. I would also like to remind you of the significant strengthening of the Serbian Caucus within Congress, as well as the increasingly frequent visits of senators and congressmen, including now and Turner," Krstic tells Kosovo Online.

When asked how significant his arrival was in the context of the still extremely fragile situation in the north of Kosovo, Krstic believes that it was discussed at the meeting with President Vucic, considering the functions that Turner performs in the US intelligence and security sector.

"It was an opportunity for the guest from the USA to learn about Serbia's view of the current situation and who is responsible for the crisis that Kosovo has been in since last year. How to prevent further escalation, and what steps are necessary in order to come out of this security vacuum and the potentially very incendiary situation as soon as possible. It is extremely important that a person of this rank and influence hears the views of the Serbian side. It is important because in the US there is a serious degree of control over the work of the intelligence sector by Congress. In this sense, it is very important to gain favor, that is, to explain one's position to those who are in charge of supervising and controlling the work of the security services," Krstic points out.

It is also important, he continues, that Turner comes from the state of Ohio, with which Serbia has developed cooperation. He states that Turner in Ohio is someone who is perceived as one of the most deserving people there because the military-industrial sector remained in the USA, near Dayton, where this US Congressman is from, which saved numerous jobs. Ohio's economic progress can also be linked to his actions, says Krstic, and adds that Turner's popularity in that state, where he has been consistently elected in his district for 20 years, is an indicator that voters see him as a successful politician.

"Not only at the congressional level, Turner's visit is also important in the context of Serbia's cooperation with Ohio," our interlocutor points out.

It is also important that the Serbian side indicated at the meeting with the US Congressman that it wanted a strategic dialogue with Washington.

"Congressman Turner is not someone who can decide on this, but the meeting with him is a good opportunity, due to the attention this meeting will receive in the public, for Serbia to send a message that it wants improvement and more structured cooperation with the USA. Of course, it remains to be seen what a strategic dialogue between Serbia and the US would entail. We, for example, have a strategic dialogue between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Defense of Serbia and Great Britain; we have strategic partnerships that cover several areas with a large number of countries, for example with Russia, China, France, and Azerbaijan. So, there are three basic messages from the meeting between Turner and Vucic - first, closer cooperation with Congress and the Republican Party, which has the majority there, second, cooperation with the state of Ohio and the US security community, and third, to send a general message to the USA, not only to Congress and the Republican Party that Turner represents, that Serbia wants a higher degree of cooperation in all domains," Krstic concludes.