The U.S. State Department has referred to recent remarks by Secretary of State Marco Rubio about Serbia following a phone conversation between outgoing Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Responding to a question from Radio Free Europe about the September 26 conversation, a State Department spokesperson pointed to Rubio’s remarks from September 23, when he said Serbia was involved in what he described as “potentially problematic and explosive issues” attracting international attention.
Rubio said at the time that Washington wanted to deepen its strategic partnership with Serbia while simultaneously addressing potential problems that could arise and that he said were of significant importance to the United States as well as Serbia.
Vučić and Putin Discuss Gas Agreement
Vučić spoke with Putin one day before announcing his resignation as president. According to Radio Free Europe, the conversation focused on Serbia’s gas supply arrangement with Russia, as well as bilateral cooperation and other issues.
Following the call, Vučić said he was confident that the current gas arrangement would be extended. Serbia’s short-term agreement with Russia was due to expire at the end of September, while Belgrade has been seeking continued access to Russian gas at favorable prices.
Vučić also said he expected future Serbian presidents to continue protecting the country’s interests while maintaining a balance in relations with major international actors.
The call came amid Serbia’s continued efforts to maintain relations with both Western countries and Russia. Belgrade is formally pursuing European Union membership while maintaining close political and energy ties with Moscow.
U.S.-Serbia Strategic Partnership
The State Department’s response comes as Washington and Belgrade have been developing a strategic dialogue, including cooperation on energy infrastructure and regional energy security.
Radio Free Europe reported that the United States and Serbia signed a memorandum of understanding on energy infrastructure and regional energy security in July as part of that process.
At the same time, U.S. lawmakers have raised concerns about Serbia’s relations with Russia, China and Iran, as well as issues involving democracy and the rule of law.
Rubio’s September 23 remarks did not specify which particular issues he was referring to when he described Serbia as being involved in potentially problematic and explosive matters. His comments were made while emphasizing Washington’s intention to deepen its strategic partnership with Belgrade.
The latest exchange between Washington and Belgrade follows renewed attention to Serbia’s foreign-policy balancing ahead of the country’s October 25 parliamentary elections.
