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[text/observer network chen sijia] according to a report by serbian radio and television on august 31, serbian president vucic said on the same day that he was not optimistic about serbia's accession to the european union and believed that serbia would not be able to become a member of the european union before 2028. vucic stressed that serbia needs to implement some reforms, but the eu should also accept serbia's different views on certain issues.

according to reports, vucic attended a security conference held in prague, the capital of the czech republic, on august 31 and spoke at a panel discussion on "western balkans joining the eu". vucic said that he did not think that western balkan countries, including serbia, could become part of the eu in 2028. "joining the eu is impossible. i will not lie to my people."

vucic believes that even if some western balkan countries are accepted by the eu, this is unlikely to happen before 2030, but no one can be sure what will happen in the meantime. "it is obvious that the momentum for ukraine and moldova to join the eu is increasing, which is understandable. but at the same time, the public within the eu is tired of the issue of expanding the eu."

he said serbia now needs some concrete measures, such as establishing a single euro payment area for serbia as soon as possible, establishing a "green channel" for serbia's exports to the european union and implementing reforms to attract more investment.

but vucic also stressed that serbia needs to carry out some reforms before joining the eu, and the eu should accept serbia's different views on some issues.

"when we discuss the un charter, it was russia that attacked ukraine. when we discuss serbia, how do we treat the charter and un security council resolution 1244? this involves serbia's territorial integrity," vucic said. "we have different views on these issues, and we cannot be members of the european union until we resolve them in a way that is acceptable to both sides."

in 1999, the un security council adopted resolution 1244 on the political settlement of the kosovo crisis, reaffirming the sovereignty of the federal republic of yugoslavia over the kosovo region and requiring all un member states to "respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the federal republic of yugoslavia". however, after kosovo unilaterally declared its "independence" from serbia in february 2008, the united states and other western countries ignored serbia's claims and immediately recognized its status.

according to resolution 1244, kosovo is not allowed to have an army, but in fact kosovo has formed its own army with the support of the west. vucic has repeatedly criticized western countries for their "double standards" on the kosovo issue, accusing western politicians of claiming to "maintain the territorial integrity of ukraine" but turning a blind eye to nato's blatant bombing of yugoslavia in 1999.

serbian radio and television said that while attending the security meeting in prague, vucic also held talks with european commission president ursula von der leyen. after the meeting, von der leyen said that the eu looks forward to serbia's progress in joining the eu. "we have developed a development plan and reached an agreement on sustainable raw materials, battery value chains and electric vehicles."

serbia applied to join the european union in 2009 and has been a candidate country for eu membership since 2012. reuters said that in order to join the eu, serbia needs to carry out reforms in the fields of democracy, justice, economy, etc., and combat corruption and organized crime.

serbia also needs to find a balance between joining the eu and its relations with russia. according to reports, serbia maintains good relations with russia and opposes sanctions against russia, but has repeatedly condemned russia's military actions against ukraine. if serbia wants to join the eu, it must be consistent with the eu in foreign policy.

on august 29, local time, serbia and france signed 11 multi-field cooperation agreements, including a 2.7 billion euro contract to purchase french rafale fighter jets. this is the first time that the serbian army has been equipped with western fighter jets, which is regarded as a "major shift" by some western media.

vucic said at a press conference that day that this was an important step for serbia to strengthen its armaments and improve its combat capabilities, and it was also a good direction for the development of relations between serbia and france. when asked by french media whether the latest contract represented serbia's move closer to the eu and away from russia, vucic said he was "proud" of serbia's balanced foreign policy.

vucic added that france wants serbia to impose sanctions on russia, but serbia will not do so and is not ashamed of this decision. however, serbia supports ukraine's "territorial integrity" and regards it as a friendly country. serbia provides more humanitarian aid to ukraine than any other western balkan country.

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