The German Chancellor stated: "Serbia must clearly decide its future direction between Europe, China, and Russia."
Serbia – At the EU and Western Balkan candidate countries summit on Friday, German Chancellor Merz said Serbia "must clearly decide its future direction." Speaking at the summit held in Montenegro, Merz stated: "Serbia cannot waver between Russia, China, and Europe." He added: "If Serbia's answer is to move toward 'Europe,' then Europe's answer will also be toward [Serbia]."
"The path for Serbia to join the EU remains open, but Serbia must determine its own stance," he said.
According to AFP, Belgrade maintains close ties with Moscow. Last year, Serbian President Vučić visited Russia to attend events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.
Serbia also maintains strong relations with China; last month, Vučić visited China, and the two countries signed a series of bilateral agreements covering trade, technology, and education. Serbia has benefited significantly from the surge in Chinese investment over the past decade.
Vučić also attended the summit on Friday and said he had "excellent talks" with German Chancellor Merz, French President Macron, European Commission President von der Leyen, and Antonio Costa.
In an interview with Serbian media, Vučić stated: "We are moving toward joining the EU. This is our strategic goal."
With a population of 6.6 million, Serbia is the largest country in the Western Balkans and one of the regions with the highest levels of skepticism toward Europe, where support for EU membership is below 50%.
Source: rfi
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