Russia keeps Serbia waiting for promised MIGs

Russia keeps Serbia waiting for promised MIGs
By bne IntelliNews July 20, 2017

Russia plans to deliver six used MIG 29 aircraft to Serbia by end-2017, Russia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) Director Dmitry Shugaev said on July 19, Sputnik reported.

Serbia has been waiting for the promised aircraft since December 2016. The MIG donation was controversial since while Serbia will receive the aircraft for free, it will need to pay between €180mn and €230mn to overhaul the planes. 

"The completion of MiG-29 aircraft deliveries to the Republic of Serbia is planned by the end of 2017," Shugaev told reporters at the MAKS International Aviation and Space Salon, Sputnik reported.

The MIG donation became an important political issue ahead of Serbia’s April presidential election. Serbia’s then prime minister and current president, Aleksandar Vucic, highlighted the gift during his pre-election visit to Moscow, in a move that was likely intended to appeal to the substantial parts of the electorate that still see Russia as Serbia’s main external ally. 

However, in the months since then the MIGs have failed to arrive in Serbia. Shugaev’s announcement came long after the deal was made, and on same day that US general Michael Scaparrotti, who serves as supreme allied commander Europe of Nato Allied Command Operations as well as commander of the US European Command (EUCOM), visited Belgrade.

It also coincided with Vucic’s meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence in Washington on July 17, which according to the president was a significant step towards the strengthening of bilateral relations between US and Serbia. “It was nice to be a Serbian citizen in Washington on July 17,” he commented. 

Positioning Belgrade

Serbia’s relations with the US are still burdened by the Kosovo issue, since the US is seen as the main supporter of Kosovan independence, while Russia has steadily refused to recognise it. 

Russia openly opposes Serbia’s eventual membership in Nato and its close ties with the alliance. Russia also uses its soft power in Serbia and other countries in Eastern Europe, where it sponsors media and other organisations such as NGOs and think tanks, as outlined in a 2016 Chatham House report. 

Despite this, Serbia’s main political goal is European Union membership. It also maintains military neutrality, at the same time as aiming for the best possible relations with Nato, individual Nato members and with Russia and China. Another important factor is that all Serbia’s neighbours are currently either members of Nato or have Nato aspirations.

Serbia’s Prime Minister Ana Brnabic recently sought to define Belgrade’s position in an interview with Amanpour on CNN.

“The government is pro-Serbian, neither pro-US, nor pro-Russian, it is a pro-Serbian government deeply dedicated to improving the life of Serbian citizens… Serbia is deeply and strategically dedicated to EU accession,” Brnabic said

“We always have one and a same message — the EU is where we are going. Russia is our friend and is our economic partner. And, there is nothing really more to it than that,” Brnabic told Amanpour when asked about her position on Russian interference in the Balkans. 

Brnabic’s statement sounds quite similar to one the retired US Admiral James Stavridis, dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and the former supreme allied commander at Nato and EUCOM from 2009 until 2013, gave to bne IntelliNews in 2016.

“This is a choice for Serbia, which shouldn’t be pro-US or pro-Russian or pro-Nato, but pro-Serbian [and should] make decisions based on what is the best for Serbia,” Stavridis told bne IntelliNews in an exclusive interview.

Looking West

In recent years, the Serbian army has collaborated more with the US and Nato than with Russia, while the EU is Serbia’s top trading partner. 

The US supports Serbia’s EU path and is also one of the main partners of the Serbian armed forces. Serbs participate in numerous military drills sponsored by the US or Nato. More than 20 such exercises take place every year, while Serbia has only a small number with Russia.

While Belgrade was waiting for Russia’s MIGs, 19 HMMWV military vehicles or “humvees” were delivered by the US on June 1. Alongside the donation of vehicles, the US also helps Serbia in the development of South Base, a training centre for peacekeeping missions in southern Serbia. Serbian military officers also often go to US military schools and their scholarships are part of bilateral deals. 

Meanwhile, EU member countries accounted for 64.9% of Serbia’s total external trade in January-May.

Serbia’s major foreign trade partners in exports in January-May were: Italy ($975.8mn), Germany ($826.5mn), Bosnia & Herzegovina ($500.7mn), Russia ($368.8mn) and Romania ($330.5mn). Meanwhile, Serbia was mostly importing from Germany ($1.06bn), Italy ($867.4mn), Russia ($75.3mn), China ($674.6mn) and Hungary ($394.9mn). 

 

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