Djukic: The Kosovo issue is resolved in the EU and UN, not in BRICS

Srecko Djukic, a member of the Forum for International Relations and former ambassador, believes that Serbia should pursue a fair and balanced foreign policy toward both the EU and BRICS, however, he emphasizes that the Kosovo issue is not resolved within BRICS but in the European Union and the United Nations.

He notes that BRICS is a group attempting to establish itself as an influential political, economic, financial, technical, and technological force on the international stage. However, he reminds that BRICS is not a new phenomenon and has been around since 2008.

“In 17 years, it hasn’t made a significant impact on the world stage. It is one thing to add up population numbers, GDP, and other factors to show how large BRICS is, but that is just a physical summation. BRICS, as a political, economic, and financial organization, has yet to make its mark in international affairs. It is an organization in development, in its infancy, which is already of age but still needs to prove whether it can change the existing international order,” our interlocutor says, adding that there are two poles within BRICS – China and India – and these two countries face significant problems between themselves.

In response to arguments that Serbia might be better off aligning more closely with BRICS, since many BRICS countries do not recognize Kosovo, Djukic acknowledges the desire for BRICS to resolve the Kosovo issue but reiterates that the Kosovo issue is not resolved within BRICS.

“The Kosovo issue is resolved in Europe, in the EU and the UN. That is just a fact. These countries haven’t recognized Kosovo, but that is not the path to resolving the Kosovo issue – to now bury our heads in BRICS, thinking that no one will recognize Kosovo. They won’t recognize it, but others in the West already have. We don’t live in Asia, we live in the center of Europe,” Djukic states, adding that such an approach is, in his view, “an escape from reality and an ostrich policy of burying one’s head in the sand.”

Speaking about the invitation for Serbia's president to attend a meeting in Kazan, Djukic points out that at such major events and summits – “and there is no doubt that the BRICS summit is a prestigious international gathering” – heads of state are not invited by chance.

“First, a probe is conducted to see if the country is interested in attending the meeting, and only then is an invitation extended. The invitation to Serbia didn’t come just like that. Some prior discussions took place, and then the invitation followed. This shows that Serbia has flirted with Moscow, with Putin, with BRICS, showing interest in BRICS. Now, it is necessary to assess how compatible this is with Serbia’s international position as a European country, with its long-standing foreign policy priorities,” the former diplomat says.

According to him, Serbian policy must decide whether to stay on its current European path, aiming for EU membership, or turn toward BRICS, which, as he puts it, is “geopolitically thousands of kilometers away.”

“This requires major studies and strong assessments of what it means for us politically, economically, and financially. If we want to join BRICS, does that mean we lose Europe and the EU?” Djukic asks.

He adds that Serbia must pursue a fair and balanced foreign policy toward both the EU and BRICS.

“It would be a huge mistake to make a rushed decision and implement policies hastily, only to face severe consequences later. Let me remind you, in recent decades, we have often made wrong decisions in foreign policy, and we are still paying the price. I think we are at a crossroads today, where we must avoid repeating such a mistake,” Djukic warns.