Western diplomats and analysts believe Serbia is clearly leaning towards the West. The signing of a luxury hotel agreement by Belgrade by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of the erstwhile president of the United States, is an excellent example of how you can prepare for Donald Trump's return to the White House, as assessed by the Financial Times on Tuesday.
For 25 years the ruins of the General Staff of the Yugoslavia have reminded of the 1999 NATO raids that were to halt the war in Kosovo. "Now, however, the sanctuary of Serbian nationalism is to be demolished and rebuilt into an elegant hotel-apartment complex. Investors come from the US – a country which in the 1990s twice commanded NATO interventions to halt Serbian aggression in the region” recalls “FT”.
The agreement with the Government of Serbia is followed by Jared Kushner, the leader of the investment fund with capital from Saudi Arabia, and Richard Grenell, peculiar Envoy for the dialog of Serbia and Kosovo from the time of Donald Trump's presidency, inactive maintaining close relations with the governments of the region.
"Analytics say the deal is simply a case survey showing how a tiny uninvolved state can prepare for Trump's possible return to the White House. This besides reflects the increased focus of the West on Serbia at a time erstwhile it became a precedence to separate it from historically close Russia," the British diary notes.
"Although Serbia's president Alexandar Vuchic maintains that the transaction is purely business, the agreement seems to be clearly political. With it, Vuchić will keep close relations with the possible winner of the November presidential election in the USA," adds “FT”.
Grenell already at the time of his representation of Washington in the Balkans revealed a plan of akin investments to encourage US investors to focus on Serbia to weaken her relation with the Kremlin. "Greenell presented this as a way of helping US-Serbia relations to decision distant from the past, referring to American investments in Japan after 1945", recalls "FT".
"I believe that we have taken crucial steps to distract Serbia from the influences of Russia and China and bring it closer to the United States," says erstwhile Trump envoy in the region in an interview with the journal. “I besides realize that more needs to be done, and I am determined to do so,” he adds.
Speaking of Belgrade's relation with planet powers, Srdzian Bogosavljević, a investigator of Serbian public opinion, notes that "Serbian love for Russia is irrational and China is calculated". Despite close ties with Moscow and Beijing, president Vuchic strengthens relations with French president Emmanuel Macron and develops cooperation with the EU to open the possibly largest lithium mine in Europe.
"West diplomats and regional analysts believe Belgrade is clearly leaning towards the West. U.S. president Joe Biden's administration invested a lot to bring Serbia into Western camp. However, there is no uncertainty that Trump would have been a more natural partner than Biden,” stresses ‘FT’.
Source: PAP / Jakub buffalo, Belgrade
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