Serbia’s Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin has reiterated his country’s commitment to maintaining a policy of military non-involvement in conflicts between other states. In an interview with the Russian news agency RIA Novosti, Vulin stated that Serbia will not expand its military participation in any military alliance.
“We will try to maintain the best possible relations with all countries, especially those in our neighborhood” Vulin said, adding that Serbia will not join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) or the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).
The CSTO is a military alliance comprising Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, with Armenia suspending its membership in 2024. Vulin acknowledged that it can be challenging for a country of Serbia’s size to ensure its own security, but emphasized the importance of making independent decisions.
“It’s the honest way – to take decisions on our own” he said.
Since December 2012, Serbian parliamentary representatives have been serving as observers in the CSTO’s parliamentary assembly. At the time, the Serbian government stated that this decision was in line with its policy of neutrality, which Serbia has consistently maintained. The move was seen as a way to gain access to information on regional security and potential cooperation opportunities.
The CSTO’s parliamentary assembly discusses cooperation between member states in international, military, legal and other areas, with the aim of developing recommendations that are then submitted to the CSTO’s Council for Collective Security and other organizations, as well as national parliaments.