Gouillon: Serbia conducts an independent foreign Policy

Serbia has its own government, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and conducts an independent foreign policy, said Arnaud Gouillon, Director of the Office for Public and Cultural Diplomacy, in an interview with French radio station Courtoisie. He added that Serbian society is a traditional one, preserving its values, identity, and Christian Orthodox faith.

Gouillon pointed out that, because of this, certain messages coming from the EU "do not resonate easily" in Serbia.

“We are in a somewhat unusual situation—on one hand, there is an economic and geographical interest to join the EU, but on the other hand, the Serbian people do not want to give up who they are. They do not want to relinquish sovereignty over Kosovo and Metohija, which represent the historical heart of the Serbian nation. Certain EU member states present this as a condition—‘give up Kosovo and you’ll enter the EU.’ But the Serbian people, the leadership, and President Aleksandar Vucic firmly state that we will never give up Kosovo, no matter what happens and regardless of the consequences,” Gouillon said.

When asked whether the “woke” dimension of the EU is what encourages Serbia to remain neutral, and whether relations would be different if the EU shared values closer to those of the Serbian people, he responded that today’s EU demands are primarily geopolitical.

“Serbia has its own government, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and conducts an independent foreign policy. It does not automatically accept all of Brussels’ demands. That is precisely why it is the only country in Europe that has not imposed sanctions on the Russian Federation, because doing so would be contrary to Serbia’s national interests,” Gouillon stated.

He noted that even former U.S. President Donald Trump highlights the need to critically assess how certain values and ideas are being spread globally, indicating that even in the West there is no unified view on these processes.

“It’s important to point out that President Aleksandar Vucic was among the first to publicly oppose this. He had the courage to clearly say: ‘Serbia is a traditional country that respects family values, and woke ideology has no place here.’ That is precisely why I support him. Serbia should continue on that path,” Gouillon concluded.