EU chief cancels meeting with Serbian PM over Russia minister: ambassador

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen canceled talks with Serbia’s Prime Minister Milos Vucevic on Friday because of his earlier meeting with a Russian minister, the EU’s ambassador said.

“We canceled the meeting… following the prime minister meeting with the minister of economy of the Russian federation,” the EU’s ambassador in Belgrade, Emanuele Giaufret, told AFP.

Vucevic had met earlier with Maxim Reshetnikov, Russia’s Minister of Economic Development. Giaufret said that according to a statement published on the Serbian government’s website, which he said was later removed, there was an “indication of Serbia’s intention to strengthen economic relations in other areas with the Russian Federation.”

“In that light the president of the Commission felt that there were no reasons to hold the meeting with the prime minister,” he added. The statement, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, said that Vucevic spoke with Reshetnikov and a Russian delegation, about the “further strengthening of economic and overall cooperation between the two countries.”

Von der Leyen had arrived in Belgrade earlier Friday as part of a tour of six Balkan nations, and duly met with President Aleksandar Vucic. The latter did not take part at this week’s summit of the BRICS group — an alliance of emerging economies — in Russia.

“My presence here today, in the context of my fourth trip to the Balkans since I took office, is a very clear sign that Serbia’s future is in the European Union,” von der Leyen told a joint press conference with Vucic.

“The partnership between the European Union and Serbia is getting stronger,” she added. Serbia, which aspires to join the 27-nation bloc, has maintained friendly ties with Russia and has refused to sanction Moscow for its invasion of Ukraine.

On Friday, Vucic stressed his country’s commitment to joining the EU. “We will continue on our European path,” he said, but added that Serbia will “try to preserve our friendship and partnership with all the others also.”

During her four-day Balkan tour, which started on Wednesday, von der Leyen pledged that membership expansion would be high on the Brussels agenda. Discussions around EU enlargement in the Balkan region of almost 18 million people stretch back 20 years.

The six countries — Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia — are in different stages on their path toward membership of the bloc. The EU Commission chief will visit Montenegro and Kosovo on Saturday.