Djuric: Kurti’s regime has done nothing to change its attitude toward Serbs

Serbia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marko Djuric, stated that during the three years in which EU measures against Pristina have been in force, Albin Kurti’s regime has done nothing to change its attitude toward Serbs, which is why he believes Brussels’ decision to begin lifting sanctions on Kosovo is not a good one.

“I have neither the habit nor the desire to speak negatively about decision-makers in Brussels, even though that may be popular, because it brings no benefit to Serbia, nor does it help European integration or the country’s positioning in Europe. But for the sake of truth, I do not think it is the right decision for Brussels to start lifting measures against Pristina that were imposed on Kurti’s government three years ago, because his regime has done essentially nothing to change its attitude toward Serbs,” Djuric emphasized in an interview with Newsmax Balkans.

He pointed out that if this is being treated as a reward—because local elections were held and people were allowed to vote, and because there are no longer imposed Albanian mayors in municipalities where 99 percent of the population is Serbian—and if that is supposed to be celebrated as a success of democracy, even though just three weeks ago Kurti’s government attempted to ban the Serb List from participating in the elections, then something is wrong with the criteria used to assess what constitutes success.

He added that this was also one of the reasons for Serbia’s absence from the most recent EU–Western Balkans summit in Brussels.

He stressed that Serbia will certainly not suspend dialogue with the EU, but will, on the contrary, intensify it.

“We are not avoiding dialogue, but we felt the need to send a signal,” Djuric said.

Regarding the Belgrade–Pristina dialogue and EU calls on Pristina to form the Community of Serb Municipalities (CSM), and on Belgrade not to obstruct Kosovo’s international integrations, Djuric noted that there is not a single obligation that Belgrade has failed to fulfill to date, which cannot be said for Pristina.

“Find me one fundamental obligation from the 2011 and 2012 agreements that Serbia has not implemented. There isn’t one—it does not exist. I have led 221 rounds of dialogue, I know almost by heart 46 agreements, and we were not only responsible, but at times we may even have remained too silent in the interest of peace,” Djuric said, adding that “time is not on the side of separatists.”

Serbia firmly anchored in its foreign policy orientation

Speaking about the four pillars of Serbia’s foreign policy, the minister said that Serbia is not a leaf in the wind to bend under episodic or temporary changes, and that not even tectonic shifts will cause Serbia to change its principles, commitments, and foreign policy course overnight.

“Friendships and alliances are shaped by many factors—some historical, to a lesser extent, and some economic and geographic. In that sense, I can say that Serbia is very firmly anchored in its foreign policy orientation. We pursue a multi-vector foreign policy, with Serbian interests at its center. Our policy is at the same time a realistic one. Seventy-seven percent of our trade is conducted with European countries, the EU, and our neighbors. As responsible and serious people, we must ensure that Serbia continues to advance economically, grow, and develop,” Djuric explained.

He said there would have been no economic growth had Serbia not opened its doors wide to cooperation with European countries, had there not been a boom in cooperation with the United States in high technologies, and that, objectively speaking, Serbia—despite current difficulties—has some of the cheapest energy on the European continent, which is the result of cooperation with the Russian side.

These are, he underlined, objective, measurable, non-ideological parameters that influence Serbia’s positioning on many issues.

He also recalled that China has become the second-largest investor in Serbia, while Germany is “number one.”

“These are facts that we must take into account and respect. We also have other challenges, namely the issue of Kosovo and Metohija,” Djuric added.

He emphasized that Serbia must be pragmatic and adaptable, as that is the recipe for success in an era of rapid change, and that, on the other hand, it cannot abandon all partnerships without clear economic and security alternatives.

“Serbia has taken European reforms very seriously, and the European Commission has given a positive assessment for the fifth year in a row. If we measure the quality of reforms, alongside Montenegro, Serbia ranks first in the region,” he said.

Djuric stated that political reasons are behind the stagnation on Serbia’s European path.

“Some member states would like Serbia to take a different stance on relations with Russia, while some are not particularly happy with Serbia’s position on Kosovo and Metohija, but that is only a smaller part of the problem,” he said.

He added that Serbia is assessing the dynamics of the enlargement process and that it remains to be seen whether new member states will be envisaged in the 2028–2034 budgetary period.

Pointing to the example of North Macedonia, he said the EU’s attitude toward that country is quite discouraging for everyone in the region.

“For 30 years they did everything that was asked of them. They changed their name, amended their constitution countless times, allowed Albanians to take more than a third of power. Nothing resulted in progress being approved on the European path—one member state put the brakes on. We believe it is in Europe’s interest for Serbia, a country that accounts for 53 percent of the Balkans and lies at a key strategic crossroads, to become an equal member of the EU. Whether that will happen and at what pace does not depend solely on us. But it is our responsibility to implement everything for our own sake. I fear that if Europe does not cut this Gordian knot, it will be yet another cause of lagging behind other global actors,” Djuric said.

Peace is sacred for Serbia

Speaking about the policy of military neutrality and Serbia’s armament, as well as that of others in the region, Djuric stressed that Serbia has a long tradition of independently taking care of its own security, and that a strong defense industry is an additional comparative advantage.

He noted that by all criteria, Serbia’s armed forces are the strongest in the region, which is a major factor of peace and deterrence.

“Serbia is permanently and strongly committed to peace. That is why we welcome the initiative of U.S. President Donald Trump for peace in Ukraine. For us, peace is sacred. And in order to preserve it, we must strengthen our capabilities and diversify sources of armaments,” the head of Serbian diplomacy said.

He recalled the agreement with France regarding arms procurement, and noted that Serbia is also in talks and actively cooperates with representatives of many countries on this issue, while primarily investing heavily in its own capacities.

Serbia, Djuric underlined, as a country located on a continent where major wars occur every 50 years, must arm itself and strengthen its capacities—but that does not mean viewing others as enemies, rather protecting its own interests.

“And that is our basic right. Citizens should know that we have allocated more than three percent of GDP to enhance the capacities of our armed forces. These are far too turbulent times to neglect our military,” the minister said.

He also recalled that Ukraine has not recognized Kosovo’s independence since 2008, which Serbia greatly respects.

Regarding the operations of the domestic defense industry, he pointed out that Serbia is committed to respecting United Nations norms and does not export to countries involved in armed conflicts. He added that President Vucic, considering developments in the region, Europe, and the world, decided to introduce an additional level of control into the system—the National Security Council—in order to prevent any indirect contribution to fueling conflicts.

“Our system adheres to this strictly,” Djuric emphasized.

I believe this will be a year of strategic dialogue between Serbia and the United States

As for relations with the United States, he noted that although news coverage mainly focuses on sanctions against NIS, it is often overlooked that the Trump administration suspended strategic dialogue with Kosovo over the position of the Serbian people, and that the situation regarding the Republic of Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina has significantly improved.

“We can do more and we want to do more in the future, and I believe this will be a year of strategic dialogue between Serbia and the United States,” Djuric said, recalling both his own meetings and those of President Vucic with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio during 2025.

Absence from the EU–Western Balkans summit: Sometimes silence speaks louder than words

Regarding President Vucic’s decision not to attend the EU–Western Balkans summit held in December, the minister said that a large part of the public understood the message Serbia was sending, given that what had been done over five years in implementing reforms was not recognized, even though the European Commission had recommended opening clusters for five consecutive years.

“Sometimes absence, silence, and loud quiet speak more clearly than loud words,” Djuric said when asked whether this was the right way to send a message.

He added that President Vucic did not make that decision lightly, but only after careful consideration.

“That move was not made to distance Serbia from the EU, but to accelerate the process of European integration,” Minister Djuric concluded.