Serbian Foreign Minister described the call for sanctions on Russia as the personal opinion of the Minister of Economy

BELGRADE, March 14 – RIA Novosti. Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, who leads the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) coalition, said that the call for support for Western sanctions against Russia is the personal opinion of Economy Minister Rade Basta.

Basta took over the head of the Serbian Ministry of Economy in October 2022. The new Cabinet was joined by the SPS Dacic bloc and its coalition partners, United Serbia. On Monday, Basta wrote on social networks that he supports Western sanctions against the Russian Federation and urged all ministers in the Serbian Cabinet to raise their voices on the issue.

“Socialists openly support the stance of the National Security Council, which was approved last year, which states that Serbia condemns the violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, but does not support the imposition of sanctions on the Russian Federation. The SPS strongly supports national interests. Dacic “The future is our priority,” he said.

“Basta, who, among other things, is a member of our coalition partner United Serbia (JS), has stated that he favors sanctions against Russia. JS leader Dragan Markovic Palma also said that Basta’s position is not that of United. Serbia,” the message says.

The “Socialist Movement” of Alexander Vulin, head of the Serbian Security and Information Agency (BIA), demanded Basta’s resignation on Monday.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has repeatedly stated that Belgrade will maintain its policy of military neutrality and will “try to hold out as much as possible without imposing sanctions on the Russian Federation”. According to him, the armed conflict in Ukraine is escalating towards the Third World War and the Western countries are increasing the pressure on Serbia due to their refusal to support the sanctions against the Russian Federation.