Belgrade Summit: On one side there was talk of peace and on the other arms were sold!

The two-day summit marking six decades of the Non-Aligned Movement was held in Belgrade, bringing together representatives of more than 105 countries. Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic called it a "commemorative" summit on the 60th anniversary of the first Conference held in 1961 in Belgrade. The meeting brought no political decision. It was attended by about 50 heads of state, government and foreign ministers. While the organizers tried to make everything look similar to the protocol of decades ago from the time of the former Yugoslavia.

Although the rally formally discussed vaccines, climate change or the fight against terrorism, the gathering itself is seen as a nostalgic reminder of the efforts to create a fairer and more polar world during the division of the world into two blocs. The organizers tried to affirm the idea of the Non-Aligned Movement, but this movement today has no weight.

Analysts in Belgrade have already noted that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is trying to impose regional initiatives as the leader of the Western Balkans, but his ambitions do not stop there.

It is often said that Aleksandar Vuiqi. Is trying to be the new Tito and that the Movement of the Unframed fits in perfectly with such an image. At the end of the summit, Minister Selakovii stressed "that Tito was one of the political geniuses of the twentieth century". "We are proud of this, as well as the fact that he wanted to be buried in Belgrade," said the Serbian Foreign Minister.

Propaganda

Journalist Slobodan Stupar told Deutsche Welle that the summit was "a common propaganda joke that no one will remember in a week."

"The purpose of the rally is to remember that he (Aleksandar Vucic) is the successor to the former Yugoslavia, that he could be a little Tito - which of course is a political kid and a farce - but also to sell him some weapons. guests, as they have worshiped here. Of course, all this can be seen in TV diaries and media tabloids ", says Stupar for DW.

Kosovo and cooperation

Suzana Grubjesic, from the Center for Foreign Policy, recalls the organization of the same rally on the fiftieth anniversary of the Movement in Belgrade. For DW she emphasizes that the point has remained the same: “Ten years ago and now the focus was on Kosovo. There are countries that do not recognize the independence of Kosovo, but there are also countries that withdrew the recognition of Kosovo in this group. The other purpose of this summit is to strengthen bilateral cooperation - because an arms fair was held in an adjoining hall. But there are also some old connections from the Yugoslav period. "I do not think we should expect more than that," said Suzana Grubjesic.

A similar rally was organized in Belgrade ten years ago by then-Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, who now says the current summit "is good to mark in some parts of the world". "Serbia today has no foreign policy orientation and has no precise foreign policy goals. "The fact is that the EU and the US will react to this summit, but they are making concessions to President Vuiqi për even for much bigger things, than a summit of the Unframed", says Jeremiq.

The West knows Vucic

The West knows Vucic even better than the citizens of Serbia, thinks Slobodan Stupar. "They have long been aware of the schizophrenia of Serbian foreign policy, so this event made for advertising does not surprise them."

While Suzana Grubjesic draws attention to the fact that "Serbia is not a member of the Movement of the Unfamiliar. It claims to join the EU. While organizing the summit for the Framed. "But this has gone unnoticed in the Western media."

Russia and its role

Russia's interest in the summit has caught the attention of many, as Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was also an observer. It was stated at the summit that "Russia's status as an observer in this Movement opens opportunities for a new contribution to international relations." "Russia always finds ways to be present in some unstable regions, such as the Balkans, and its goal is that these regions are not stabilized," said Slobodan Stupar.

On the other hand, Suzana Grubjesic believes that "the Russian presence here is important for Serbia, in order to continue to keep Russia on its side when it comes to resolving the Kosovo issue." But we should not forget the current gas and oil crisis either, because Serbia is completely dependent on Russian gas, she says.

Source: Deutsche Welle