Not surprisingly, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s first visit to the Serbia on Monday has provoked a mixed bag of visceral responses in the country.
Although a reunified Germany represents the industrial and economic capacity at the core of a united European future, the Serbian perspective on the country remains burdened by a legacy of world wars and what is perceived as anti-Serbian policy promoted by Berlin.
In the most recent past, the fall of the Berlin Wall is seen to have precipitated the inevitable implosion of the Yugoslav state. Yugoslavia, of which Serbia was its founding constituent republic, represented a buffer between European east and west–NATO and the Warsaw Pact.
The collapse of the Berlin Wall signaled a new configuration of international relations: an end of power struggle between two opposite political and economic systems and changes for Yugoslavia’s role as the middle ground.
Furthermore, as a renewed European factor in international relations, Germany was an open supporter of the secessionist elements in Yugoslavia: the Croats and ethnic Albanians of Kosovo, whose interests directly collided with those of the Serbs.
Merkel comes to Serbia offering a future within the EU, but German policy is diametrically unfavorable for the Serbians as it pertains to Kosovo.
“We are not prepared for blackmail,” the Serbian news agency Tanjug quoted Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic as saying on the eve of Merkel’s visit. According to Djelic, Serbia was unwilling to link its EU future to “irrational demands” of Pristina.
Serbia has steadfastly refused to recognize the sovereignty of Kosovo, which unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Germany as one of the first countries to recognize Kosovo has in recent days through its embassy in Belgrade argued for inviolability of the borders of Kosovo at the expense of unstated Serbian policy of edging toward secession for the Serb-dominated north of the province.
Furthermore, there have always been talks that the current economic crisis in Europe could slow the process of EU expansion, which has cast a shadow over her visit.
Djelic called on Merkel to “use the same yardstick” in assessing Serbia’s EU candidacy, and said the economic crisis should not be perceived as an “excuse” for adding new conditions to Serbia’s potential application for membership.
Nonetheless, unlike a confident Germany which successfully integrated its eastern half after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Serbia has in the interim suffered both the indignity of a string of losing wars and a protracted diplomatic battle over Kosovo.
All this, coupled with disintegration of the former Yugoslav economy and a devastated infrastructure, have made it desperately urgent for Serbia to boost its national strength.
Increased trade and commerce with Germany, the regional economic giant, remains a priority for Serbian leaders.
“The potential for expanding economic cooperation remains enormous,” stated Djelic.
Milanka Vucic, Director of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce offices in Germany, expressed hope that Merkel’s visit could lead to increased German investment in Serbia.
“Merkel’s visit gives German businessmen the signal that Serbia is a country worth considering, that Serbia is a country of interest to Germany,” said Vucic.
Source xinhuanet.com
