Spies attempted to force me to take anti-Russia stance: Serbian MP
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Serbia's interior minister says that foreign spies have pressed him to take anti-Russia stance.
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Serbian Interior Minister, Aleksandar Vulin. (AP)
A major foreign intelligence service has been pressing Serbian Interior Minister Aleksandar Vulin on his stance toward Russia and China. Within this context, the minister is anticipating that a large media campaign against him will begin next week.
“One of the largest intelligence services in the world, if not the largest, told me that my stance was unacceptable and that if I do not change [it] and do not abandon the policy that I am pursuing ... then I will not be a member of the government and they will do absolutely everything to smear me,” Vulin said as quoted by media outlet Pink.
Despite the high pressure, the minister affirmed that he is not willing to cooperate with foreign spies in any way.
"I have not worked and will not work for anyone other than the Serbian people and the Serbian state, and I will not be completely loyal to anyone other than the president of all Serbs, Aleksandar Vucic," the minister added.
The minister also called on Serbia's president to remain neutral and maintain good relations with Russia and China despite external pressure.
It is worth noting that top Serbian officials have constantly stated that the country is under increasing foreign pressure as a result of the war in Ukraine.
Read more: Serbia pays high price for not sanctioning Russia: Vucic
Belgrade, on the other hand, has refused to join any anti-Russian sanctions or other hostile acts by the West as a whole, confirming that Serbia will continue to pursue its own interests while maintaining long-standing ties with Moscow.
Vulin has taken a particularly strong stance in the midst of the ongoing crisis. Early in July, the minister stated that the United States and the European Union were openly pressuring Serbia to become a "NATO foot soldier" in order to become "someone who wants to engage in a conflict with Russia."
At the time, he added: “We are very clear: We will not engage in a conflict with Russia, we will not engage in other people’s wars, we will not be someone else’s foot soldiers.”
