Tillerson' message to Serbia prompts speculation

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's message on the occasion of Serbia's Statehood Day makes no mention of the country's EU bid.

Izvor: Tanjug

Tuesday, 14.02.2017.

09:35

Tillerson' message to Serbia prompts speculation
(Getty Images, file)

Tillerson' message to Serbia prompts speculation

Instead, Tillerson praised Serbia’s "continued efforts to promote economic reform, to further strengthen the rule of law and to improve relations with its neighbors - cornerstones of regional stability and economic growth.”

The French agency said the absence of a mention of the EU "underlines the extent to which President Donald Trump’s new US administration has moved on from its predecessor’s support for the European Union," and adds:

"And it may cheer Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin, which resents Europe’s eastward march and is seeking to retain Moscow’s historically strong influence in Serbia and the broader Balkans."

Tanjug is reporting that "media in Serbia speculated these last days that Trump was preparing to leave the Balkans to Russia," while AFP said that the US State Department "would not issue a statement in support on Serbia’s EU ambition"- but that an official, "speaking on condition of anonymity six hours after Tillerson’s statement" insisted that his country's policy had not changed.

Two days ago, Director for South and Central European Affairs in the US State Department Matthew Palmer, who was in Belgrade, rejected such speculation, saying that he "did not believe US policy toward the Balkans would change from that which meant America's dedication to the region and assisting the Balkans on the path of EU integration," said Tanjug.

Asked to comment on "the ideas" that Trump and Putin might strike a deal by which the US would "relinquish the Balkans as its sphere of influence," Palmer told Belgrade-based Politika that he saw no evidence of that in any US official - and that it sounded like "speculative fiction."

Komentari 7

Pogledaj komentare

7 Komentari

Možda vas zanima

Bure baruta pred eksplozijom: Počinje veliki rat? 1
Svet

Bure baruta pred eksplozijom: Počinje veliki rat?

Bliski istok, zbog promene ravnoteže snaga i dubokih kriza, pre svega palestinsko-izraelske, može se smatrati buretom baruta i ima potencijal da dovede ne samo do regionalnog sukoba, već i do globalnog konflikta.

20:40

17.4.2024.

22 h

Podeli: