Djuric: Serbia strives to be the voice of reason in international politics

"Anyone who can add two and two together knows that Serbia has nothing to do with the sabotage in Zubin Potok," said Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Marko Djuric, emphasizing that Serbia will insist on fully resolving this matter and will not allow Albin Kurti to escape accountability for attempts to destabilize the region with the excuse of "the dogs bark but the caravan moves on."

“We insist that the international community closely monitors the investigation and ensures that those playing with peace and stability in the region are not granted amnesty,” Djuric told Politika.

He stated that Serbia is conducting its own investigation but that it is too early to point fingers at anyone, as it is a well-organized and serious state that demonstrates credibility even in such situations. He added that Serbia’s diplomatic network quickly, effectively, and timely responded to Pristina's underhanded attacks on Serbia’s reputation and will continue to do so in the future.

Regarding the participation of the Serb List in Kosovo elections, he said that it is a decision for Kosovo Serbs and their political leaders, which Belgrade will respect as it always has.

“On the other hand, the question arises whether the Serb List, as the key political organization of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, will even be allowed to make its decision. Kurti is not interested in having people representing Serbs in Pristina who fight for Serbian state and national interests. He needs obedient Serbs, and he doesn’t care that he cannot find such people among those with legitimacy and real political weight. You have seen Kurti’s recent panicked attempts to connect Belgrade and the Serb List at all costs with the sabotage on the Ibar-Lepenac canal, in order to preemptively disqualify legitimate Serbian political representatives from the electoral process and instead impose his own Serbs,” Djuric pointed out.

When asked how realistic it is for Serbia to meet all EU membership criteria by the end of 2026, the Serbian foreign minister said that the country is actively campaigning to create critical support for EU membership and that Serbia is firmly committed strategically to joining the Union.

“EU enlargement is a complex political process based on the strategic projections of member states and depends primarily on their political will, and then on the fulfillment of criteria set for aspirant and candidate countries. Serbia is firmly and strategically committed to EU membership, and this commitment is rooted in our economic and political interests. We are an old European state-forming nation, and our place is at the table where the future of Europe is decided,” Djuric said.

He emphasized, however, that Serbia’s ambition is to join the EU as a genuinely full-fledged member, with a voice at the common table on issues of shared interest.

“As President Vučić has announced, we will complete everything that is up to us by the end of 2026, and then, once our reforms are completed, the burden of decision-making will fall on the EU. I sincerely hope that by then, there will be political will to continue the process of EU enlargement. Our impression is that, at this moment, that will exists, and we will do our best to capitalize on it,” the minister said confidently.

On the observation that Cluster 3 is unlikely to open in December, he noted that the European Commission has been giving positive recommendations for its opening for three years, and Serbia meets all the criteria and has been ready for years to continue negotiations with the EU by opening new chapters. However, readiness within the EU itself has been lacking.

The reasons, he explained, are numerous—from systemic problems within the EU that have nothing to do with Serbia, to the fact that some political structures in certain EU countries remain constrained by outdated and long-overcome narratives about Serbia, and to the discouraging climate in today’s international relations for advocates of a rational approach to enlargement.

He admitted that there were moments when Serbian representatives perhaps did not make enough effort to eloquently and convincingly show decision-makers in EU countries, from parliaments to executive authorities, that they are dealing with a fundamentally different country from the one they knew in the last decade of the 20th century.

“Today, we are working very diligently to ensure that our voice and arguments are heard even in places where, just yesterday, we were politically and diplomatically invisible,” Djuric emphasized.

"It is important," Djuric added, "that as a region, given that we share the same or similar ambitions regarding European integration, we use every opportunity to raise this issue more aggressively in international forums."

He is convinced that the region should jointly lobby for the revival of the enlargement process.

“For us, it is fundamentally important, regardless of whether our efforts in Brussels will always be valued in line with our wishes, to continue implementing our reform agenda, because that process is inherently beneficial for Serbia,” Djuric stated.

When asked what Serbia can expect from the Trump administration, he replied that the key question is—what can the world expect from the Trump administration?

He pointed out that there are grounds to assume that with the new U.S. president entering the White House, there will be major shifts in American foreign policy, which will indirectly affect Serbia.

“I expect efforts to be made to steer the world away from the path of general destabilization, which would be politically and economically significant for Serbia. Despite having found ways to make international crises affect us less traumatically than others, we are still part of global economic chains, and stabilizing the global situation is undoubtedly in our interest. Naturally, we also have certain expectations regarding Serbian-American bilateral cooperation, but at this moment, it is wise to remain patient and wait for the transition of power in Washington,” Minister Djuric said.

When asked how realistic it is for President Trump to visit Serbia, he noted that the development of relations between Serbia and the U.S. in recent years has been very dynamic and positive. If there was ever a moment to symbolically crown the opening of a new phase in the cooperation between the two countries with a visit from the American president, this is that moment.

“I am certain that President Trump will consider the option of visiting Serbia, but whether it will happen depends on a whole series of factors. Serbia, in line with its tradition of hospitality and its ambition to continue improving relations with the U.S., would give President Trump a welcome he could not experience anywhere else in Europe,” Djuric said.

Asked about the merits of Serbia's multi-vector foreign policy, made possible by President Aleksandar Vučić, he noted that Serbia's long-standing position of respecting international law and promoting international cooperation on equal terms is no longer an isolated phenomenon on the international stage but a policy embraced by an increasing number of countries.

As a result, Serbia, he added, increasingly finds interlocutors around the world who share this value system.

“In a time when there are attempts to halt globalization and create a new bloc division in the world, it is very difficult to pursue an independent policy while also being militarily neutral. Serbia, though small and with relatively modest capacities, strives to be the voice of reason in international politics,” Djuric emphasized.

In this context, he described multi-vector foreign policy as the concretization and practical application of value-based orientations.

“Our undeniable interest is to expand a network of partnerships and friendships around the world. We are an independent state and will continue to pursue an independent policy. And you are correct—President Aleksandar Vučić is the inspirer and creator of this policy, and I am confident that future generations will remember him as one of the most successful politicians in Serbian history,” Djuric said.

Speaking about improving relations with Croatia, he noted that enhancing regional relations is one of Serbia's foreign policy priorities, and this has nothing to do with nostalgia for Yugoslavia, but with a "simple and fundamental fact"—the countries of our region have a clear interest in political and economic cooperation.

He warned that any deviation from this logic would only slow down economic growth in the region.

“Croatia is not only one of our economically strongest neighbors but also a country with which we have several unresolved issues. By addressing these issues, we will demonstrate our ability to move beyond inherited problems and focus on a different future. Opponents of such a course, both here and there, will speak of traditional animosities or insurmountable strategic rivalry, but these are merely excuses for non-cooperation. I am convinced that permanent animosities do not exist and are always politically generated, so there must be a way to solve problems through different policies. Personally, I will do everything to ensure that by the end of my term, our relations with Croatia are better than when I started,” the foreign minister stated.

When asked how to improve relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, he said the answer should be simple, but it is not, because an openly anti-Serbian stance brings votes to certain politicians in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, making it difficult for them to view the future of the region in a completely different context.

He stressed that Serbia sincerely wants to have equally good relations with the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina as it does with Republic of Srpska.

“We unreservedly support the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina and want that country to function on Dayton principles, to the satisfaction of both entities and all three constituent peoples. I don’t see how we could be criticized in this regard. Over the past year, Serbia has been accused multiple times by certain extremist politicians in Sarajevo of unbelievable things, but it is precisely these individuals who pose the greatest threat to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s stability. We wish our neighbors all the best and are ready for substantial improvement in relations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, and we hope to soon have suitable interlocutors for this,” Djuric concluded.