Milic: BRICS without major achievements, cooperation with China important for Serbia

Regarding Kosovo, it is most important to have strong relations with countries that, in some way, control the situation on the ground and can have the most influence on it, and these are currently the Western countries—both due to historical context and their physical presence in that territory, says Dimitrije Milic from the organization "New Third Way" for Kosovo Online. However, he adds that a counterbalance could primarily be found in cooperation with China rather than with BRICS as a whole.

He emphasizes that China, in terms of the size of its economy, is the most similar to the U.S., that it has influence in various countries worldwide, and that, due to its economic impact, it also builds political relations in the so-called Global South.

"So, if Serbia were to seek some balance, it would be much easier to find it in cooperation with China, due to its size and importance, than with any other BRICS country, considering that Russia is currently isolated and its poor relations with the West make it difficult to collaborate effectively with both sides. As for the other BRICS countries, their economies are not at a high level in terms of GDP per capita, like India, Brazil, South Africa, etc.," explains Milic.

Milic assumes that the idea of BRICS would be more appealing to most Serbian citizens, given that, as he says, there is a negative sentiment toward Western countries among a significant portion of the population. However, he adds that it is important to consider economic data as well.

"If we look at Serbia's exports in 2023, Serbia exported goods worth 18 billion euros to the EU. To all BRICS countries combined, it was a little over two billion. This means that the EU is currently nine times a larger economic partner in terms of exports. Also, when we look at the structure of our exports to BRICS, a growing portion over time will involve China, in terms of both imports and exports. Just as China is disproportionately larger than the other economies within BRICS as an organization, this will soon reflect in Serbia's economy due to the free trade agreement," he notes, adding that trade with Russia is also declining, especially in terms of imports, because oil from Russia can no longer reach Serbia.

The data still shows that BRICS is quite relevant due to the size of individual economies and their importance in producing fossil fuels and various minerals. BRICS is also significant, he adds, in terms of population, as it includes the two most populous countries in the world.

"However, it is important to point out that, when it comes to the achievements of this organization over the past decade or more, they are not substantial. That is the biggest issue. What does this organization actually offer besides being a forum where countries with certain skepticism toward the Western-led world order gather? In essence, they also have some internal problems, such as the relationship between China and India, which is not at a very high level," Milic explains.

According to him, "there are still no results often talked about," in the sense that BRICS would create, as previously mentioned, an alternative currency to the dollar or deepen its mutual relations, unlike the EU, where there is free movement of people, goods, and capital.

Regarding the invitation to the BRICS summit extended to the Serbian president, Milic believes that it is merely Russia's attempt to present itself as having allies.

"Due to severed relations with most European countries, Russia has a desire to show that it is not isolated, despite the sanctions imposed by Western countries. It wants to demonstrate that it has other allies. So, I assume that the purpose of the summit is to showcase how many countries, despite the sanctions and the Hague warrant, still want to maintain relations with Russia. Of course, I think Russia should be grateful to Serbia, as Serbia, along with Belarus, is the only country in Europe that has not imposed sanctions on it," he points out, adding that a meeting between the Serbian president or prime minister and Putin "under these circumstances" would not be a fruitful idea.