COUNTRIES SHOULD NOT BE PUNISHED FOR COMMEMORATING VICTORY DAY

BELGRADE, APRIL 16 /SRNA/ - Commemorating Victory Day is a civilizational value, and there are no grounds for punishing states that have a positive attitude towards it, diplomat Zoran Milivojević told SRNA regarding warnings from Brussels to officials of Serbia and other countries not to attend the May 9 celebration in Moscow.

"I think that's the essence of the matter. How Serbia will respond, I don't know at this moment, but I believe this goes beyond the bounds of political conditionality, interests, or the usual standards and norms when it comes to the EU accession process and European integration in this region," Milivojević said. He believes that this is an attempt to revise history, which has been ongoing for some time regarding the conflict in Ukraine. Milivojević emphasizes that this is incompatible with global interests and the standards of the civilized world, but it also does not align with what could be called the values of the EU. He assesses that the latest messages from Brussels are a continuation of the political conditionality that dominates at the EU level, and is dictated by the narrow core, which advocates for the continuation of the war. "What goes beyond the scope of daily politics is the fact that in this case, we are talking about civilizational values and standards, and that is the approach to the fight against fascism," said Milivojević. "Political conditionality does not contribute to what should be the goal of the EU in this region – to continue the integration process and respect sovereignty, territorial integrity, as well as the right of candidate states or subjects of this conditionality to make independent decisions and take steps in foreign policy that align with their national and state interests," Milivojević said. He believes that the level of conditionality concerning Serbia, which previously involved sanctions on Russia, has now been raised to a higher level, with even specific actions related to Belgrade's cooperation with Moscow being subjected to conditions. He pointed out that the Soviet Union's key role in defeating fascism and essentially being the bearer of victory gives the Russian Federation, as the legal and political successor of the Soviet Union, the right to commemorate the end of World War II. The British Telegraph reported that the EU could ban Serbia from joining if its President Aleksandar Vučić travels to Russia for the Victory Day Parade on May 9, which he was invited to by Russian President Vladimir Putin. The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said that it was clearly communicated at the EU Foreign Affairs Council that member states or any candidate countries should not participate in the May 9 celebration in Moscow.