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Eadaily.com: State Delegate: Only Russia Can Make Peace in the Balkans
The West is now shamelessly saying that it has spent huge sums on the destruction of Yugoslavia, and this is evidenced by more than 22,000 declassified documents related to the breakup of this country. Such a statement was made by State Delegate Alexei Zhuravlev, speaking at the first Russian-Balkan summit of public diplomacy that took place in Voronezh on November 12 and 13, EADaily correspondent reports.
“They directly boast that they have spent money on bribing politicians, squeezing peoples among them,” Zhuravlev said, noting that despite the thousands killed by the 1999 bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the West has failed to achieve its goal and to break the spirit of the Serbian people. According to the deputy, the situation of 1999 can no longer be repeated today, as a strong Russia will surely protect the Serbs.
“Russia is strong today. Today only we can make peace in the Balkans. And we have to take responsibility for that, “Alexey Zhuravlev emphasized.
The deputy added that the aim of the Russian-Balkan summit on public diplomacy is not only to “talk simply”, but also to identify serious problems facing relations between Russia and the countries of the Balkan region, and to try , if not, then at least go down the path of resolution.
Recall that the International Summit of the Russian Federation for Public Diplomacy in Voronezh was organized by the Russian-Balkan Center for Public Diplomacy.
According to Lubomir Radinovich, chairman of the Coordination Council of the Center, the new public organization is requesting “a serious platform for exchanging views, considering ideas and proposals to improve and strengthen good relations and relations between the peoples of Russia and the Balkan countries.”
BA Comment
It is no secret that Serbia is a top priority in Russian policy in the Balkans and through it the main goals in the region are realized. Neither is nostalgia for the collapse of Yugoslavia and Belgrade’s past greatness used to build on anti-Atlanticism and anti-Europeanism.
It is not so interesting that another center for Russian-Balkan public diplomacy is being established.
Important are Alexei Zhuravlev’s words that this time Russia will defend Serbia at all costs, with the subconscious suggestion that this will be against NATO. Such a scheme is impossible to happen without securing a secure corridor through Bulgaria, an example of which were the secret flights of military transport aircraft for the Slavic Shield doctrine.
In practice, this implies that in military planning and the Kremlin’s calculations, Bulgaria can and should be a corridor country for a military-strategic bridge between Russia and Serbia. Which means a dutiful government in Sofia capable of implementing such a policy.