Rodic: Most BRICS countries support Serbia on the Kosovo issue

Most BRICS countries support Serbia on the international stage regarding the Kosovo issue, journalist Filip Rodic says for Kosovo Online, adding that it is a misconception that the matter is decided in the EU. He emphasizes that the issue is resolved in the UN, "where BRICS countries certainly have a say."

"It is not wrong to think that the issue of Kosovo and Metohija has brought BRICS countries together and that they are more or less unified on this stance because they align on this issue. No, the issue of Kosovo and Metohija is a kind of litmus test, and in fact, anyone with a rational view of international relations, justice, and law is on that side. That is why it is no surprise that the vast majority of BRICS countries have not recognized the secession and support Serbia on this issue in the international arena, even those who, unfortunately, did recognize it, like Egypt," Rodic states.

He recalls that Egypt "recognized the secession during the brief rule of Mohamed Morsi, who came to power on the wings of the pro-American Arab Spring."

"And as soon as he was removed and replaced by Fatah el-Sisi, they froze that recognition. As a serious country, they cannot easily revoke it, but it remains in that state," he adds.

In response to arguments that the Kosovo issue "is resolved in the EU, not in BRICS," Rodic says this is incorrect.

"It is wrong to think that the Kosovo issue is resolved in the EU. The EU, in theory, is only supposed to be a mediator in the negotiations. In practice, we see that the EU is not even a mediator but rather one side in the negotiations, completely biased toward Pristina. The issue of Kosovo and Metohija is being and will be resolved in the UN, from the Security Council to the General Assembly, and here BRICS countries definitely have a say. As for the negotiations under EU auspices, the situation is so bad that it can’t get worse, even if Serbia were to join BRICS tomorrow, which won’t happen," Rodic believes.

He emphasizes that Serbia's closer alignment with BRICS could be a hindrance to other options, but that’s because those other options are exclusive and because, as he says, the European Union already positions itself exclusively in relation to BRICS.

"The EU limits its cooperation with those countries for, I would say, completely irrational reasons, as it doesn’t benefit the EU. We can see that the sanctions it imposed on Russia were also not in its own interest," he assesses.

Regarding Turkey's announcement that it will seek BRICS membership, Rodic notes that Turkey seems to have finally made up its mind and abandoned its decades-long path toward the EU.

"Our path to the EU has lasted for decades, and Turkey’s has lasted almost half a century. So, a wise person learns from the mistakes of others, while a fool learns from their own. I think Turkey’s example could be very significant and interesting for us, and we should consider why Turkey is changing its geopolitical course and to what extent it is doing so," Rodic believes.

According to him, in the past decade or more, Turkey has followed a sovereignty-driven path that leads it in a direction that truly serves Turkish interests.

"When it suits them to align more closely with Russia, or when it benefits them to be closer to Russia on certain issues, they are. When it doesn’t, they pursue other strategies," Rodic explains.

Responding to comments that BRICS is still in the process of solidifying its position on the international stage and lacks the institutions and budget of the EU, he says this could actually be an advantage.

"The fact that BRICS doesn’t have the institutions the EU does is actually an advantage for BRICS. I’ve seen those EU institutions and how they function, and they are not exactly praiseworthy. As for resources, I really don’t understand how the second, third, and I believe seventh largest economies in the world could lack resources," he highlights.

He adds that today’s European values and those of the collective West are the opposite of what they once were and of what the values of BRICS are today – "if we can even speak of BRICS values" – since BRICS is a very heterogeneous alliance that embraces diversity, "unlike those who constantly praise diversity but create uniformity and grayness."

He concludes that "the entire rational world" is now gravitating toward BRICS, and the role of this alliance regarding the Kosovo issue should not be underestimated.