"We could hardly have found a better one," said the newly minted Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic about the new Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic there in 2014, when he formed his first government. "I have never talked to strangers with such charm." This was also seen in Brussels, when I argued with foreigners and representatives of the authorities from Pristina. He was there to calm the situation," added Vučić about his coalition partner - unnecessary, because at that moment the coalition around SNS had enough deputies to independently vote for the government of Serbia.
Five years later, after a lot of singing, self-humiliation, breaking plates, receiving tips, pounding on "patriotic" chests, bar fights, defending the interests of Russia, the balance sheet of the President of Serbia, the Government of Serbia and its Minister of Foreign Affairs in question here is a disastrous relationship with of all the countries of the former Yugoslavia with which Serbia borders, the impasse in the negotiations with the Albanians from Kosovo and the rhetoric in the public space that even the nineties would not be ashamed of. At the same time, there is a complete "resetting" of the attitudes of official Serbia to the period of the nineties.
In the beginning, during the first half of 2014, Dacic, as Minister of Foreign Affairs, gave mostly protocol statements. Previously, as Prime Minister, he signed the first Brussels Agreement, and the country was praised for its foreign policy, as well as for starting the so-called economic reforms. Here are some statements from the beginning: "The political priorities of the new government are the continuation of European integration, the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and the implementation of what was agreed upon, the improvement of regional relations, economic recovery and internal reforms..." "Serbia's policy on the issue of Kosovo and Metohija was determined clearly and without doubts for the first time... Our determination is that the dialogue, within which a solution to every open issue will be sought, will continue in good faith and under the auspices of the EU" - these are, for the most part, the statements that came from the new Minister of Foreign Affairs.
There was, as a matter of course, the mantra about not recognizing Kosovo as an independent state, about not imposing sanctions on Russia, and very early on - in October 2014 - the story about the division of Kosovo, which Dacic had previously pushed: "Serbia and Kosovo should to exchange territories: for Serbia to cede three municipalities of the so-called Preševo Valley for municipalities in the north of Kosovo with a Serbian majority. (..,) Such an agreement, i.e. a permanent solution to the relations between Belgrade and Pristina, could be reached at an international conference under the auspices of the EU, but also the USA and Russia." Then he was criticized by the Minister for European Integration and the former editor of the radical newspaper "Velika Serbia" Jadranka Joksimović: "I don't know if it is advisable for the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Government of the Republic of Serbia to express party views that are not part of official government policy."
Five years later, this position on division (demarcation) became the position - if not of the government, then of the president's policy - and within a week the minister of foreign affairs was first in the manner of a drunken bar guest - not a singer - breaking plates while singing in Paralia on the occasion of the opening of the office of the United Serbia in that Greek city, and then shouted at Vljor Citak at the United Nations, managing to tell her "come on, don't play" and "you are as stupid as you are heavy".
IVICA AND CROATIA
It seems that the return of Vojislav Šešelj from the Hague Tribunal has started a downward spiral, at least when it comes to relations with Croatia. But, of course, Šešelj was only the initial capsule - both in Serbia and Croatia (and in Kosovo, after all) the atmosphere in society and the holders of political positions were quite fertile ground for the dizzying swelling of bad blood and chauvinistic arrogance, and the opportunity to they used a kindling fire abundantly, and inevitably during August every year and the celebration of the "Storm".
In November 2014, Seselj was released from The Hague and immediately started with his old Karlovac-Karlobag-Ogulin-Virovitica rhetoric (see "Vreme" number 1453). As a reaction to Šešelj, both Croatian and Serbian politicians in power began pumping their national-patriotic sails.
"Is he (Seselj) a state functionary?" Are there those in Croatia who talk about Ustaste? We (Croatia and Serbia) should relax our relations, not complicate them", said Dačić at the time, and the matter continued on its own - Croatia does not need Serbia to share lessons, I do not expect Kolinda Grabar Kitarović to be Croatia's Vojislav Šešelj" , declared Dacic.
There was a certain warming of relations in March 2015 ("Croatian-Serbian relations are very good and at a new level, said Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pusić yesterday after meeting with Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić in Zagreb, and Dačić pointed out that Serbia wants to build better relations with Croatia on the basis of common interests"), but then Šešelj, although no one saw him, reported that he had set fire to the Croatian flag, and immediately reported vulini from both sides, Croatia withdraws its ambassador for a short time, and soon August arrives:
"The head of diplomacy, Ivica Dacic, told the Croats that he does not see why Serbia would arrest SRS leader Vojislav Šešelj for burning a checkerboard when they would not think of arresting Ustasha singer Marko Perković Thompson," the news read. "I didn't notice that the authorities in Croatia thought of arresting him, although during the celebration in Knin he openly called for Ustaše with fascist messages. "Let them tidy up their yard," said Dacic.
Relations were deteriorating. "My well-intentioned advice for Croatia is that it should not think too much that it is some kind of world power, because it is not, far from it... It can set conditions for Serbia, but it also set other conditions and other demands, and it passed as during the customs dispute, when The EU sided with Serbia" (April 2016); "The behavior of the outgoing Croatian government exceeded all limits of normality. Rhetoric, vocabulary and unconcealed hatred that radiates from their every statement and performance is no longer just a necessity of the pre-election campaign in Croatia, but an expression of a pathological obsession with Serbia. Serbia cannot be treated like that, we don't allow that even to the most powerful countries, let alone Croatia, where the Ustasha fascist salute is still broken" (July 2016)...
After the rehabilitation of Alojzij Stepinac in Croatia (and a little earlier of Dragoljub Draža Mihailović in Serbia), the story of who is an Ustasha, who is a fascist, who is a Nazi begins. And just as politicians use various archaisms when they want to "arouse emotion", i.e. when they want to incite and incite hatred, so every speech that has "animal", "nothing", "hearth" in it can automatically be placed in that basket, so here too various words and expressions are used as triggers: "vampirized Ustasha", "successors of the Ustasha NDH", "Ustasha rampage", "Greater Serbian aggression" (ministers of foreign affairs Ivica Dacic and Miro Kovač).
Then, in August, the commemoration of the "Storm" will follow again with appropriate rhetoric, and a week later, Dacic will say that he expects that "Austria will continue to support Serbia's European integration and will contribute to calming tensions in the region."
REHABILITATION OF THE FATHER
But don't lie down, the next day Dacic asserts that the Hague Tribunal in its verdict against Karadzic has irrefutably shown that Milosevic was not guilty of war crimes in BiH, and the next day Dacic joins Milutin Mrkonjic in the idea that a monument should be erected to Slobodan Milosevic. ("Of course it should.")
And by the way, Dacic was persistent in rehabilitating Milosevic - he only reproached him for "allowing some murders" to be linked to him, but for him Milosevic is a great leader, not a criminal, Koštunica did not win the 2000 elections, they were not even knee-deep in Milosevic, the trial in The Hague was the trial of the entire Serbian people, and The Hague eventually killed Milosevic "with the wrong drugs, for which there is evidence".
This is followed by further wallowing in the Serbo-Croatian den ("Serbia is concerned that the old form of extremism is being renewed in its neighborhood, through the tendency to indirectly and directly promote and rehabilitate the Nazi and fascist ideology from the past, which was defeated in the Second World War"), and begins that there is also a line that disputes what Dacic called Serbia's political priority - membership in the EU:
"If our entry into the European Union depends on Croatia, then we don't need it." Another thing, if the condition for Serbia's entry into the European Union is to recognize the independence of Kosovo, we don't need that either, because we will never agree to that." tickets, or we don't need them. This is what I am saying to Federica Mogherina, but also to the entire EU. After all these pressures and ultimatums that we are now hearing about, it turns out that I was right when I told her predecessor, Catherine Ashton, in Brussels that it was 'fake every day' with them." Dacic openly says that "everyone knows" what he would be like answer if the question is put to the referendum whether the citizens are for the EU or for Russia.
In February 2017, Dacic canceled his participation in the meeting in Zagreb: "First of all, we will take care of Croatian national interests, respect between the two countries, and we will not allow any statements of a rude nature," said Andrej Plenković when asked by a journalist in Zagreb about the new tightening of relations with Serbia, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Štir stated that "Zagreb wants to develop relations with Belgrade, but that this cannot be achieved with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia, Ivica Dacic, because what the Croatian and Serbian prime ministers communicate about the relations between the two countries".
MOTHER RUSSIA
Dacic uses every opportunity to point out that Serbia is protecting Russia with its policy. "It is clear that we are going the European way, but our relationship with Russia is also clear, whose support is of key importance for the territorial integrity of Serbia" (July 2017). "It is obvious that there is a great anti-Russian hysteria in Western countries and that everything is interpreted through the fact that Russia has a great influence on our region. And they think that influence is harmful" (September 2017).
But certainly, as in everything else, President Vučić set the tone. And in general, as time goes on, both Dacic and Vučić return to their "original" values from the nineties - Dacic more openly, Vučić less openly, but clearly through the selection of collaborators and their statements. But in December 2017, Vučić was clear: "Serbia does not vote to the detriment of Russia." I will answer what I can and what I am allowed as the president of Serbia. Serbia's job is not to harm Russia. Serbia does not vote in a way that would harm the interests of Russia. That has never happened in any international forum."
How much influence did Russia have in Serbia's relationship with Montenegro or Macedonia? The answer is quite likely. There was a noticeable cooling towards Macedonia when Zaev came to the head of the southern neighbor: "Serbs are the biggest and best friends of Macedonians, and the way Zaev acted, friends of Serbia do not behave," said Dacic in response to Zaev's statement that he is in power in Serbia. nationalist leadership". "I don't know how Aleksandar Vučić and the Government of Serbia deserved such a brutal and scandalous attack by the pretender to the post of Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev. Hasn't he had enough of the problems he has in Skopje, but is looking for them with Belgrade as well?" said Dacic, and after a few days he added that "Zoran Zaev is damaging relations between Belgrade and Skopje with his statements, and the insults he directs at the Serbian leadership will certainly affect our bilateral relations". Let's recall that during the intrusion of demonstrators into the Macedonian parliament in May 2017, BIA member Goran Živaljević was also inside, and a few months later, Serbia briefly withdrew the entire staff from the embassy in Skopje "due to intelligence operations against Serbia".
Even then - in the fall of 2014 - Kosovo was delaying the fulfillment of its obligations. After all, how successful the negotiations with the Kosovo Albanians were, can be seen from the list of "key messages" that Dacic presented at the UN Security Council session in February 2015: "Serbia seeks stronger support from the members of the United Nations Security Council against the obstructions of Pristina in the implementation of the Brussels Agreement , the release of Oliver Ivanovic from custody, the formation of the ZSO community and the stopping of the kidnapping of 'Trepča'." In January 2018, Oliver Ivanovic was killed with back, and the suspects for the murder are Milan Radoičić and Zvonko Veselinović, close associates of the ruling SNS.
In August 2015, commenting on Kosovo's attempts to become a member of UNESCO, Dacic compared Kosovo Albanians to the Islamic State: "Kosovo's admission to UNESCO would be a self-destructive decision of that organization (...) It would be as absurd as if someone suggested that the Islamic State (ISIS ) becomes a member of UNESCO." And Hashim Thaci uses similar nonsense in his argumentation: "Dacic and the entire Serbian administration must understand that the army and the police will never return to Kosovo. Your dream is over once and for all. If you start a war, you will lose. And the propaganda brochures that Dacic is handing out are a desperate act because Serbian forces have destroyed over 300 religious buildings in Kosovo. We are champions in the fight against extremism in the region."
In October 2015, Dacic allowed himself the luxury of "trivializing" the opinions of individual EU members: "I'm not whining for Tito, I'm whining and regretting that today we don't have such a foreign policy position, that Serbia is respected, and not that some Estonia or Latvia gives us lessons about democracy," says Dacic to FPN students. At the same time, Dacic announces that Serbia will "do everything to finish negotiations with the EU" by 2018 or 2019.
In August 2018, Angela Merkel buried Vučić's and Dacić's plans on demarcation, but that did not prevent Dacić from saying in February 2019 that Serbia's official position and offer was exactly that - demarcation, so that, after an argument with Minister Nenad Popović, after a couple dana stated that it was not an official proposal, but "an idea of an official".
IS IT A BEAR GAME?
In April 2016, Dacic spoke about his view of diplomatic activities in "Cirilica", and recounted that Catherine Ashton once said that "it's fun with you every day": "She couldn't understand what I wanted to say for two seconds, until she connected , because it doesn't occur to them, they're not that much... She says that after spending time with me, she looks at Serbia with different eyes."
In October 2016, "Srpski telegraf" publishes a front page on which it is written: "Dacic - Vučić makes me dance and sing for foreigners". This title perhaps best defines Dacic's role all these years - probably blackmailed by massive scandals, starting with the "Suitcase" affair and ending with recorded conversations with Rodoljub Radulović - Miša Banan, connected to Darko Šarić and the drug trade - Vučić leads him around, humiliates him, and Dacic doesn't seem to mind. In October 2017, when he sang to the President of Turkey Erdogan, he received a tip from Mufti Mustafa Jusufspahić - all he needed was for the mufti to stick money on his forehead, so that the atmosphere was complete. "If anyone thinks it's easy, let them try." I have achieved my goal. Erdogan is satisfied and that is the main news in Turkey."
When Kosovo's request to join Interpol was rejected in November 2018, Dacic "diplomatically" commented: "I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Strache, you lied and deceived the Serbs. Kurtz is not better either, he is worse. They wanted to enter Interpol through Kurtz. And through whoever they wanted, that's how they got through."
