Serbia–NATO relations

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Serbia–NATO relations
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Map of Europe with countries in six different colors based on their affiliation with NATO as follows:

Since 15 January 2015, the relationship between Serbia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has been regulated in the context of an Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP).

Contents

NATO member countries In the process of accession Promised invitations Membership is not the goal Have not announced their membership intentions NATO enlargement.svg
  NATO member countries
  In the process of accession
  Promised invitations
  Membership is not the goal
  Have not announced their membership intentions

Background

Yugoslavia's communist government sided with the Eastern Bloc at the beginning of the Cold War, but pursued a policy of neutrality following the Tito–Stalin split in 1948. [1] It was a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1961. Since that country's dissolution most of its successor states have joined NATO, but the largest of them, Serbia, has maintained Yugoslavia's policy of neutrality.

1992–2006: Yugoslav Wars, NATO bombing, non-alignment

The NATO intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992 against Bosnian-Serbian forces during the Bosnian War and in 1999 in the Kosovo War by bombing targets in Serbia (then part of FR Yugoslavia) strained relations between Serbia and NATO. [2] After the overthrow of President Slobodan Milošević, Serbia wanted to improve its relations with NATO. However membership in the military alliance remained highly controversial, because among political parties and large sections of society there were still resentments due to the bombings in 1999. [3] [4] In the years under Prime Minister Zoran Đinđić the country (then Serbia and Montenegro) did not rule out joining NATO. However, after Đinđić's assassination in 2003, Serbia increasingly started pursuing a course of military neutrality. [5] [6] Serbia's Parliament passed a resolution in 2007 which declared their military neutrality until such time as a referendum was held on the issue. [7]

2006–2011: Entry into the Partnership for Peace

Serbia joined the Partnership for Peace programme during the 2006 Riga Summit. While this programme is sometimes the first step towards full NATO membership, it was uncertain whether Serbia perceives it as signaling an intent to join the alliance. [8] However, the West's broad recognition of Kosovo's contested declaration of independence in February 2008, while it was a protectorate of the United Nations with security support from NATO, further strained relations between Serbia and NATO.

Although current Serbian priorities do not include NATO membership, the Alliance offered Serbia an invitation to enter the intensified dialogue programme in 2008 whenever the country was ready. [9] On 1 October 2008, Serbian Defence Minister Dragan Šutanovac signed the Information Exchange Agreement with the NATO, one of the prerequisites for fuller membership in the Partnership for Peace programme. [10]

2011–2022: Individual Partnership Action Plan

In April 2011 Serbia's request for an Individual Partnership Action Plan was approved by NATO, [11] and Serbia submitted a draft IPAP in May 2013. [12] The agreement was finalized on 15 January 2015. [13] [14] It regularly participates in its military maneuvers, and hosted a joint civil protection exercise with NATO in 2018. [15] [16]

2022–present: Russian invasion of Ukraine

Following the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, several neutral states reconsidered their alignment, including Finland and Sweden which applied for NATO membership. However, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, in office since 2017, reiterated in March 2022 that his government was not interested in NATO membership. [17] The minor Serbian Renewal Movement, which has two seats in the National Assembly, and the Liberal Democratic Party, which currently has none, remain the most vocal political parties in favor of NATO membership. [18] The Democratic Party abandoned its pro-NATO attitude, claiming the Partnership for Peace is enough.

Serbia maintains close relations with Russia, due to their shared Slavic and Eastern Orthodox culture but also due to its support on the Kosovo issue. Serbia and Belarus are the only European states which refused to impose sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine. [19] [20] [21]

Opinion polling on Serbian NATO membership

Necu NATO (lit. 'I do not want NATO') anti-NATO signs in Serbia, 2011 Necu Nato.JPG
Neću NATO (lit. 'I do not want NATO') anti-NATO signs in Serbia, 2011

An opinion poll in September 2007 showed that 28% of Serbian citizens supported NATO membership, with 58% supporting the Partnership for Peace. [22] However, following NATO's open support to Kosovo's declaration of independence in 2008, support for NATO integration significantly dropped. A poll from March 2022 found that 82% of Serbians opposed joining NATO, while only 10% supported the idea. [23]

Polls on Serbian membership of NATO
Dates
conducted		PollsterClientSample
size		SupportOpposedNeutral
or DK		LeadRef.
7 March 2024 Sweden acceedes to NATO
February 2024 NSPM 10007.6%84.6%7.8%77% [24]
September 2023 NSPM 11007.5%84.2%8.3%76.7% [25]
August 2023 NSPM 10007.5%84.2%8.3%76.7% [26]
June 2023 NSPM 11009.4%84.6%6%75.2% [27]
May 2023 NSPM 10008.3%83.5%8.2%75.2% [28]
4 April 2023 Finland acceedes to NATO
April 2023 NSPM 10008%85.4%6.6%77.4% [29]
24 February 2022 Russia invades Ukraine
March 2022NinamediaInstitute for European Affairs122810%82%8%72% [23]
March 2017NinamediaInstitute for European Affairs120411%84%5%73% [30]
16 March 2014 Russia annexes Crimea
7 August 2008 Russia invades Georgia
September 2007TNS Medium GallupAngus Reid Global Monitor100028%55%17%27% [22]

Relationship timeline

EventDate
Partnership for Peace 2006-12-14

Serbia's foreign relations with NATO member states

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Partnership for Peace</span> Intergovernmental organization

The Partnership for Peace is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) program aimed at creating trust and cooperation between the member states of NATO and other states mostly in Europe, including post-Soviet states; 18 states are members. The program contains 6 areas of cooperation, which aims to build relationships with partners through military-to-military cooperation on training, exercises, disaster planning and response, science and environmental issues, professionalization, policy planning, and relations with civilian government. During policy negotiations in the 1990s, a primary controversy regarding PfP was its ability to be interpreted as a program that is a stepping stone for joining NATO with full Article 5 guarantees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serbian Radical Party</span> Political party in Serbia

The Serbian Radical Party is a far-right, ultranationalist political party in Serbia. Founded in 1991, its co-founder, first and only leader is Vojislav Šešelj.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Individual Partnership Action Plan</span> Intergovernmental relations between countries and NATO

Individual Partnership Action Plans (IPAP) are plans developed between NATO and different countries which outline the objectives and the communication framework for dialogue and cooperation between both parties. NATO launched the IPAPs initiative at the 2002 Prague Summit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Accession of Serbia to the European Union</span> Ongoing accession process of Serbia to the EU

Serbia applied to join the European Union (EU) in 2009 and has been a candidate for membership since 2012, along with nine other states. Serbia is the largest country in Southeast Europe seeking entry into the EU.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Serbia</span> Political party in Serbia

United Serbia is a national-conservative political party in Serbia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aleksandar Vučić</span> President of Serbia since 2017

Aleksandar Vučić is a Serbian politician serving as the president of Serbia since 2017. A founding member of the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), he previously served as the president of the SNS from 2012 to 2023, first deputy prime minister from 2012 to 2014, and prime minister of Serbia from 2014 to 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zdravko Ponoš</span> Serbian politician

Zdravko Ponoš is a Serbian politician, former diplomat, and retired general who served as chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces from 2006 to 2008.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enlargement of NATO</span> Collective geopolitical action by NATO states

NATO is a military alliance of thirty-two European and North American countries that constitutes a system of collective defense. The process of joining the alliance is governed by Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which allows for the invitation of "other European States" only and by subsequent agreements. Countries wishing to join must meet certain requirements and complete a multi-step process involving political dialogue and military integration. The accession process is overseen by the North Atlantic Council, NATO's governing body. NATO was formed in 1949 with twelve founding members and has added new members ten times. The first additions were Greece and Turkey in 1952. In May 1955, West Germany joined NATO, which was one of the conditions agreed to as part of the end of the country's occupation by France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, prompting the Soviet Union to form its own collective security alliance later that month. Following the end of the Franco regime, newly democratic Spain chose to join NATO in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russia–Serbia relations</span> Bilateral relations

Russia–Serbia relations are the bilateral foreign relations between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Serbia. The countries established official diplomatic relations as the Russian Empire and Principality of Serbia in 1816. Russia has an honorary consulate and embassy in Belgrade, and a liaison office to UNMIK, the capital of the disputed territory of Kosovo. Serbia has an embassy in Moscow, an honorary consulate in St. Petersburg and has announced to open a consulate-general in Yekaterinburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">China–Serbia relations</span> Bilateral relations

China-Serbian relations are foreign relations between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Serbia. Relations have been maintained since SFR Yugoslavia's recognition of PR China on October 1, 1949, while diplomatic relations between the two countries were formally established by the exchange of diplomatic notes between the two Foreign Ministers on January 2, 1955. China has an embassy in Belgrade and also maintains an office in Priština based on consent of the Government of Serbia from November 2006. Serbia has an embassy in Beijing and a consulate-general in Shanghai. In 2017, Serbia and China mutually abolished the requirement of obtaining an entry visa for its citizens.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Foreign relations of NATO</span> Overview of multilateral relations

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The First Agreement of Principles Governing the Normalisation of Relations, informally known as the Brussels Agreement, is an agreement to normalize relations between the governments of Serbia and Kosovo. The agreement, negotiated and concluded in Brussels under the auspices of the European Union, was signed on 19 April 2013. Negotiations were led by Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dačić and Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi, mediated by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton. The government of Serbia does not recognize Kosovo as a sovereign state, but began normalising relations with the government of Kosovo as a result of the agreement. In Belgrade, the agreement was criticized by protestors as a convalidation of Kosovo independence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vladimir Đukanović</span> Politician and radio broadcaster in Serbia

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Azerbaijan–NATO relations</span> Bilateral relations

The relationship between Azerbaijan and NATO started in 1992 when Azerbaijan joined the newly created North Atlantic Cooperation Council. Considerable partnership between NATO and Azerbaijan dates back to 1994, when the latter joined Partnership for Peace program. Azerbaijan established a diplomatic Mission to NATO in 1997 by the Presidential Decree on 21 November.

National security of Serbia relates to the issues of Serbian national security.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slaviša Ristić</span> Serbian politician

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Palau–Serbia relations</span> Bilateral relations

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In the run-up to the 2023 Serbian parliamentary election, various organisations carried out opinion polling to gauge voting intentions in Serbia. The results of such polls are displayed in this list. The date range for these opinion polls is from the previous election, held on 3 April 2022, to the 2023 election, which was held on 17 December 2023.

References

  1. ↑ Lampe, John R. (2000). Yugoslavia as History: Twice There Was a Country. Cambridge University Press. ISBN   0-521-77401-2. Archived from the original on 12 January 2023. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  2. ↑ ""Vojna neutralnost nije izolacija"". B92.net (in Serbian). Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  3. ↑ Mandić, Marija (2016). "Official Commemoration of the NATO Bombing of Serbia. A Case Study of the Fifteenth Anniversary" (PDF). Südosteuropa. 64 (4): 460–481. doi:10.1515/soeu-2016-0042. hdl:21.15107/rcub_dais_7921. S2CID   199469980.
  4. ↑ Pejic, Nenad (3 March 2011). "Serbia's Decade Of Denial". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  5. ↑ Ejdus, Filip (2014). "Serbia's Military Neutrality: Origins, effects and challenges". Croatian International Relations Review. 20 (71): 43–70. doi:10.2478/cirr-2014-0008. S2CID   154105390 – via DOAJ Directory of Open Access Journals.
  6. ↑ Seroka, Jim (2010). "Serbian National Security and Defense Strategy: Forever Wandering in the Wilderness?". The Journal of Slavic Military Studies. 23 (3): 438–460. doi:10.1080/13518046.2010.503146. S2CID   154930410 – via Taylor & Francis Online.
  7. ↑ "Serbian parliament's Kosovo resolution". B92. 2007-12-27. Archived from the original on 24 March 2013. Retrieved 2013-12-17.
  8. ↑ "Military independence is not isolation". B92 (in Serbian). 6 October 2007. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
  9. ↑ "NATO offers "intensified dialogue" to Serbia". B92. 3 April 2008. Archived from the original on 11 June 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
  10. ↑ "Serbia signs information exchange agreement with NATO". Southeast European Times. 1 October 2008. Retrieved 3 October 2008.
  11. ↑ "NATO's relations with Serbia". NATO. 2015-01-16. Archived from the original on 2013-11-12. Retrieved 2015-02-09.
  12. ↑ "Serbia and NATO, are we at a turning point?". Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia. 2013-07-25. Archived from the original on 2013-11-12. Retrieved 2013-11-11.
  13. ↑ "Dacic: IPAP, step forward in Serbia-NATO relations". infoBalkans. Tanjug. 2015-01-16. Archived from the original on 15 December 2015. Retrieved 2015-01-16.
  14. ↑ NATO. "Relations with Serbia". NATO. Retrieved 2021-02-08.
  15. ↑ "NATO i Srbija ostavili bombardovanje iza sebe". BBC News Na Srpskom.
  16. ↑ "Serbia hosts joint military exercises with Russia". Reuters . Archived from the original on 2023-03-11.
  17. ↑ Öztürk, Mustafa Talha (2022-03-14). "Serbia will not join NATO: President". Anadolou Agency. Archived from the original on 3 April 2022. Retrieved 2022-08-08.
  18. ↑ Radoman, Jelena (2010-12-10). "NATO-Serbia relations: New strategies or more of the same?". EurActiv. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 2014-06-25.
  19. ↑ "Vučić: Full support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine PHOTO / VIDEO – English". B92.net. 2022-02-25. Archived from the original on 7 February 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  20. ↑ "Serbia will not impose sanctions against Moscow, president says". Reuters . 2022-02-25. Archived from the original on 2022-02-25. Retrieved 2022-02-25.
  21. ↑ Dragojlo, Sasa (2022-02-25). "Serbia Supports Ukraine's Sovereignty But Opposes Sanctions on Russia, Vucic says". Balkan Insight . Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 13 June 2022.
  22. 1 2 "Serbians Yearn for EU, Reject Joining NATO". Angus Reid Global Monitor. 25 December 2007. Archived from the original on 5 December 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
  23. 1 2 "Institute for European Affairs: Record low support of Serbia – NATO cooperation". N1. FoNet. 2022-03-24. Archived from the original on 22 April 2022. Retrieved 2022-05-18.
  24. ↑ "Србија, фебруар 2024 - спољнополитичке оријентације, партнерства и лидери". Nova srpska politička misao (in Serbian). Archived from the original on 2024-05-01. Retrieved 2024-05-25.
  25. ↑ "Србија, септембар 2023 - медији, ЕУ, БРИКС, Русија, партнерства, друштво, политика". Nova srpska politička misao (in Serbian). Archived from the original on 2024-01-04. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  26. ↑ "Србија, август 2023". Nova srpska politička misao (in Serbian). Archived from the original on 2024-01-06. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  27. ↑ "Србија, лето 2023". Nova srpska politička misao (in Serbian). Archived from the original on 2024-05-28. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  28. ↑ "Србија, мај 2023 – ЕУ, француско-немачки споразум и рејтинзи". Nova srpska politička misao (in Serbian). Archived from the original on 2024-01-15. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  29. ↑ "Србија - пролеће 2023". Nova srpska politička misao (in Serbian). Archived from the original on 2024-05-28. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
  30. ↑ "Anketa: Većina građana Srbije ne prihvata izvinjenje NATO-a zbog bombardovanja". Radio-televizija Srbije (in Serbian). Archived from the original on 2024-09-16. Retrieved 2024-09-17.
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