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I am getting inquiries about Serbian President
Vučić’s meeting yesterday with Vice President Pence. The White House
readout is short but includes some detail:
Vice President Mike Pence met today with President
of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić. The leaders agreed on the importance of
the bilateral relationship and expressed the desire to deepen the
partnership between the United States and Serbia. The Vice President
expressed U.S. support for Serbia’s efforts to join the European
Union, the need for continued reforms, and further progress in
normalizing the relationship with Kosovo. The leaders discussed the
Vice President’s upcoming trip to Podgorica, Montenegro, where he
will participate in an Adriatic Charter Summit with leaders from
across the Western Balkans region. The Vice President also announced
that the United States will provide an additional $10 million
contribution to the Regional Housing Program, an internationally
funded, joint initiative by Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia,
and Montenegro that provides housing to those displaced during the
conflicts in the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.
Vučić has emphasized establishment of a direct
channel with the Vice President.
None of this is particularly new or interesting.
It is easy enough for the US to support Serbia’s EU prospects, the
necessary reforms, and the dialogue with Pristina. A “direct
channel” can mean many things: Washington has direct
telecommunications links (that bypass the State Department and
Foreign Ministries) with a number of countries, but it could also
just mean a commitment to answer the phone.
Likely more interesting is what Belgrade and
Washington haven’t yet said. There is the specific issue of the
three Kosovar American Bytyqi brothers, apparently murdered by Serb
police after the war in Kosovo. Vučić long ago promised prosecutions
of those responsible but hasn’t delivered. Did Pence raise this
case? There is also the general issue of Belgrade’s relationship
with Moscow, which has included establishment of a Russian logistics
base in Nis, exercises with the Russian military, free Russian arms
transfers, and refusal of Serbia to go along with EU sanctions
levied because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. While President
Trump himself is soft on Russia, for many Americans Serbia’s
behavior towards Moscow raises questions about its suitability as a
US partner.
The most important aspect of this meeting is
likely that it occurred at all. No doubt Vučić sought it now
primarily because Pence is heading for Montenegro in early August
for a multilateral meeting at which Serbia will only be an observer.
No Serbian president would want to be upstaged, least of all by
Belgrade’s erstwhile junior partner. The Americans likely saw reason
in making it clear they want a good relationship with Serbia as
well.
But it is also significant that the meeting was
with Pence. The Trump Administration apparently wants to continue
Obama’s habit of keeping the Vice President out front on Balkans
issues, leaving the President to more important tasks. Plus ça
change…
PS: Whether or not the White House is interested
in the Russia connection, the House of Representatives is. It is
requiring the Pentagon to report on Russia/Serbia military
cooperation.
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