Russian Deputy PM Rogozin Visits Belgrade
After his visit to Belgrade, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin expressed much cynicism towards Serbia and implied that it was setting itself up to be the site for a ‘Cologne Two’ scenario.
Rogozin’s visit to Serbia was marked by scandal, reports a correspondent of Radio Svoboda, Yulia Petrovskaya. After Rogozin said that Serbia faces a ‘Cologne Two’ situation in regard to its commitment to the European Union, the Serbian Deputy Prime Minister, Zorana Mihajlović, advised the Russian politician to think about his own country.
"Is it possible to have the scenario predicted by Rogozin in Serbia? I think he needs to take care of his own country and we will take care of ours," Michaylovich said on Wednesday, commenting on the recent statement of Rogozin.
Completing his visit in Serbia, Rogozin recalled the event in Cologne, Germany, where on New Year’s Eve there were numerous attacks on women. Many people blamed the incident on refugees from the Middle East and North Africa. Last year the number of migrants arriving in Europe, including in Germany, reached a record level.
"I think that with too much contact with the EU, it is possible for a country to have a ‘Cologne number two’ incident. So you have to be careful with that harmonization. The aliens will begin to feel at home in your country and your women will be afraid to go out," Rogozin said in an interview with reporters. He noted that he could not accept the fact that the EU is a perfect unit. These statements were made based on recent negotiations regarding Serbia’s membership in the EU.
During Rogozin's visit to Belgrade on January 11-12, he met with Serbian officials to discuss supplying arms to Serbia as well as the economic cooperation between the two countries. Rogozin met with the Serbian President, Tomislav Nikolic, the Prime Minister, Aleksandar Vucic, the Deputy Prime Minister, Zorana Mihajlović and the Foreign Minister, Ivica Dacic. While in Belgrade, the Russian politician spoke out against NATO expansion and the militarization of the Balkans. He also said that in the coming months Russia will consider Serbia’s request for military weaponry. He did not specify what kind of weaponry has been requested.
In addition, Rogozin held a meeting in Belgrade with the leader of the Serbian radical party, an opposition politician, Vojislav Šešelj. Šešelj was accused by an International Criminal Tribunal of the former Yugoslavia for war crimes during the conflicts in the Balkans during the 1990’s. After years of litigation surrounding the verdict, Šešeljwas was temporarily released as he was diagnosed with cancer.