Nenad Popović, Serbia’s Minister for International Economic Cooperation, has firmly rejected the European Union’s potential demand that Serbia must renounce Kosovo as a condition for joining the EU. In an interview with Vecernje Novosti, Popović declared that such a demand is unacceptable for Serbia, emphasizing that the country should strengthen its cooperation with BRICS nations instead.
“Serbia must enhance its cooperation with BRICS as an organization and with each of its member states individually. These are friendly countries that understand our policy of remaining sovereign and independent while rapidly developing and slowly forming a completely new pole on the international stage,” Popović stated.
He argued that Serbia should not forgo opportunities to build global partnerships that can support its national interests, especially amid the complex and uncertain process of EU integration. According to Popović, Serbia must protect its sovereignty and not restrict itself to a future within the European Union at the expense of strategic alliances elsewhere.
Popović, who has been sanctioned by the United States for his ties to Russia, also participated in a meeting of the Serbian-Russian Intergovernmental Committee for Trade, Economic, Scientific, and Technical Cooperation in Saint Petersburg this November. Serbia has refused to join Western sanctions against Russia, even though it condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the United Nations.
The European Union, which Serbia aspires to join, has repeatedly urged Belgrade to align its foreign policy with EU sanctions on Russia. Popović’s comments reflect a growing divide between Serbia’s EU aspirations and its continued ties with Russia, a relationship that has drawn criticism from the West.
In his statements, Popović’s position mirrors that of other Serbian officials who are skeptical of the EU’s demands and who often criticize the West while maintaining close relations with Moscow. This stance has strained Serbia’s EU accession process, particularly after Serbian official Aleksandar Vulin’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in September. Following that meeting, the European Union noted that maintaining ties with Russia during its aggressive war against Ukraine does not align with EU values or Serbia’s membership process.
