Serbia and NATO – between tensions and cooperation

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić said that his country will join NATO if its citizens want it. He made the statement during a press conference broadcast by the Tanjug news agency on his YouTube channel.

,,If we wanted to become NATO members, we would have been accepted’’, the politician stressed.

Vučić once again spoke out on Belgrade’s policy of military neutrality, adding that he has no intention of dragging Serbia into conflicts. Moreover, the Serbian leader expressed his disagreement with the country’s inclusion in the ,,Coalition of the Willing’’. He came to Paris solely to attend Bastille Day, France’s main national holiday.

However, it is important to mention that from 12 to 23 May this year, the first joint military exercise of Serbia and NATO was held at the South Military Base and Borovac Training Area in the south of the country, bringing together approximately 600 military personnel from the Serbian Armed Forces, Romania, Italy and Turkey.

The exercise was at the tactical level and offered the participating states the opportunity to exchange experience and practice in their work.

During the two weeks, techniques and procedures used in peacekeeping operations were practiced, such as base security, working at checkpoints, managing mass gatherings and urban combat.

President Vučić’s words and this military training are an optimistic sign that Belgrade wants a more balanced relationship with NATO in which the historical tensions between the two sides are addressed in a much more diplomatic manner.