Stockinger: Only Serbia is truly neutral in Europe

In the current geopolitical situation, it is difficult to remain neutral, but in Europe, only Serbia is truly neutral at this moment, Austrian peace activist David Stockinger assesses.

"I think Serbia is such a country, which is militarily, politically, and one could say economically neutral, building foreign policy oriented towards all sides," Stockinger said for Kosovo Online, a member of the Austrian "Workshop for Peace and Solidarity," who participated in the international conference "From Aggression to a New Just Order" in Belgrade, marking 25 years since the NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

He points out that Austria is currently fighting to preserve its neutrality, to which the country has committed itself in the Constitution.

"We still have something to fight for. It's difficult because we have a common foreign policy within the European Union, which 'covers' neutrality. We need more sovereignty on this issue, for Austria to once again pursue sovereign policies as it did during Bruno Kreisky's time," Stockinger emphasized.

He stresses the necessity of neutral countries as bridges between blocs.

Regarding the 25th anniversary of the NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, he emphasizes the importance of remembering this event.

"The story of the bombing of Serbia is a sad one. NATO intervened for the first time, violating international law," Stockinger emphasized.

He notes that the NATO bombing of the former FR Yugoslavia has left consequences and "opened the door" to subsequent wars because it was the first war without a UN mandate.

"It is important to remind people of the NATO aggression. We do this every year in Vienna together with the Serbs. I am honored to have been able to participate in the event in Belgrade. This is how we show our solidarity," Stockinger explained.