foreign relations of Serbia
{{Short description|none}}
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}}
{{Politics of Serbia}}
Foreign relations of Serbia are formulated and executed by the Government of Serbia through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Serbia established diplomatic relations with most world nations – 189 states in total – starting with the United Kingdom (1837) and ending most recently with Marshall Islands (2024). Serbia has friendly relations with following neighboring countries: Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, and Hungary. It maintains colder, more tense relations with Albania and Croatia and to a lesser degree with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Bulgaria due to historic nation-building conflict and differing political ideologies.
Former President of Serbia Boris Tadić referred to relations with the European Union (EU), United States, Russia, and China as the four pillars of Serbian foreign policy.{{cite web|url=http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2009&mm=08&dd=30&nav_id=61454|title=B92 – Info – Tadi on Serbia's "four pillars of diplomacy"|work=B92|access-date=19 February 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219203403/http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2009&mm=08&dd=30&nav_id=61454|archive-date=19 February 2015|df=dmy-all}}
Serbia is a member of the United Nations (UN), the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Council of Europe (CoE), the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the Central European Initiative (CEI), the Central European Free Trade Agreement (CEFTA), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank Group (WB), the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the World Customs Organization (WCO), the Interpol, the International Organization for Standardization (IOS), International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (ICRC), the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and a number of other international organizations.
History
=Medieval Serbia=
In the centuries prior to Ottoman rule in the country, medieval Serbian states established diplomatic relations with a number of states in Europe and the Mediterranean, particularly under the Nemanjić dynasty, during which time the Serbian Empire reached its greatest extent. Serbian envoys regularly embarked on missions to states near and far, typically in large entourages bearing gifts for the foreign courts. One such embassy to the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt arrived in Cairo bearing gifts including five hawks, five falcons, four silver cups, and an extravagantly ornamental sword. Serbian diplomats of the time were mostly drawn from two groups; those sent to the Catholic West primarily hailed from noble families from the coastal cities of the Adriatic Sea, such as Kotor, Dubrovnik, and Bar, and those sent to the Orthodox East were frequently members of the clergy, like Saint Sava. Typically the rulers of these states would provide dwellings for the envoys and their entourages, as well as transportation.Porcic, Nebojsa. (2016). Information on travel of Nemanjic embassies: Content and context. Balcanica. 97-118. 10.2298/BALC1647097P.
=Serbian Revolution and Autonomous Principality (1804–1878)=
{{main|Serbian Revolution|Serbian-Turkish Wars (1876-1878)}}
Serbia gained its partial independence from the Ottoman Empire in two uprisings in 1804 (led by Đorđe Petrović – Karađorđe) and 1815 (led by Miloš Obrenović), although Turkish troops continued to garrison the capital, Belgrade, until 1867. In 1817 the Principality of Serbia was granted de facto independence from the Ottoman Empire.Lawrence P. Meriage, "The First Serbian Uprising (1804-13) and the Nineteenth-Century Origins of the Eastern Question." Slavic Review (1978) 37#3 pp 421-439. High officials in the Austro-Hungarian Empire lobbied for Ottoman approval of the liberal 1869 constitution for Serbia, which depended on the Porte for final approval. Vienna's strategy was that a liberal political system in Serbia would divert its impulse to foment nationalist unrest within its neighbors, and also delay its efforts to gain territory at the expense of the Ottoman Empire.Ian D. Armour, "Killing Nationalism with Liberalism? Austria–Hungary and the Serbian Constitution of 1869." Diplomacy & Statecraft 21.3 (2010): 343-367.
=Principality of Serbia (1878-1882) and Kingdom of Serbia (1882–1918)=
{{main|Principality of Serbia|Kingdom of Serbia}}
File:Serbia and Vojvodina 1848.png) in 1848]]
The Autonomous Principality became an internationally recognized independent country following the Russo-Turkish War in 1878. Serbia remained a principality or kneževina (knjaževina) until 1882 when it became a Kingdom, during which the internal politics revolved largely around dynastic rivalry between the Obrenović and Karađorđević families.
In 1885, Serbia protested against the unification of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia. The Serbian king, Milan Obrenovic´ (1854–1901), who needed to divert attention away from his domestic problems, demanded that Bulgaria cede some of its territory to Serbia. The Great Powers discouraged him, but he declared war on Bulgaria on November 13, 1885. The Serbo-Bulgarian War ended on March 3, 1886. The Serbian army crossed the lightly defended northwest border of Bulgaria aiming to seize Sofia, the Bulgarian capital. The Bulgarian defenders defeated the invaders and then invaded Serbia. Vienna brokered a peace that restored the old status quo. Serbian casualties totaled 6,800, about triple the 2,300 Bulgarian total. The defeat forced Obrenovic to abdicate in March 1889, and the Serbian crown passed to a regency in the name of his son Alexander (1876–1903).Ferdinand Schevill, History of the Balkans (1922) pp. 411–413.
Serbia in late 19th and eraly 20th century had multiple national goals.Martin Gilbert, First World War Atlas (1970) p 8.Richard C. Hall, "Serbia," in Richard F. Hamilton, and Holger H. Herwig, eds. The Origins of World War I (Cambridge UP, 2003) pp 92–111.Christopher Clark, The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 (2012) pp 3–64 [https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780061146657 online]. Serbian intellectuals dreamed of a South Slavic state—which in the 1920s became Yugoslavia. The large number of Serbs living in Bosnia looked to Serbia as the focus of their nationalism, but they were ruled by the Germans of the Austrian Empire. Austria's annexation of Bosnia in 1908 deeply alienated the Serbian peoples. Plotters swore revenge, which they achieved in 1914 by assassination of the Austrian heir.{{cite book|author=Bernadotte E. Schmitt|title=The Annexation of Bosnia, 1908–1909|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j-Y8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PR7|year=1937|publisher=Cambridge UP|page=vii}} Serbia was landlocked, and strongly felt the need for access to the Mediterranean, preferably through the Adriatic Sea. Austria worked hard to block Serbian access to the sea, for example by helping with the creation of Albania in 1912. Montenegro, Serbia's main ally, did have a small port, but Austrian territory intervened, blocking access until Serbia acquired Novi Pazar and part of Macedonia from the Ottoman Empire in 1913. To the south, Bulgaria blocked Serbian access to the Aegean Sea.Gunnar Hering, "Serbian-Bulgarian relations on the eve of and during the Balkan Wars." Balkan Studies (1962) 4#2 pp 297-326. Serbia, Greece, Montenegro and Bulgaria formed the Balkan League and went to war with the Ottomans in 1912–1913. They won decisively and expelled that Empire from almost all of the Balkans.Richard C. Hall, "Balkan Wars," History Today (2012) 62#11 pp 36-42, The main remaining foe was Austria, which strongly rejected Pan-Slavism and Serbian nationalism and was ready to make war to end those threats.Béla K. Király, and Gunther Erich Rothenberg, War and Society in East Central Europe: Planning for war against Russia and Serbia: Austro-Hungarian and German military strategies, 1871–1914 (1993). Ethnic nationalism would doom the multicultural Austro-Hungarian Empire. Expansion of Serbia would block Austrian and German aspirations for direct rail connections to Constantinople and the Middle East. Serbia relied primarily on Russia for Great Power support but Russia was very hesitant at first to support Pan-Slavism, and counselled caution. However, in 1914 it reversed positions and promised military support to Serbia.Gale Stokes, "The Serbian Documents from 1914: A Preview" Journal of Modern History 48#3 (1976), pp. 69-84 [https://www.jstor.org/stable/1878810 online]
=World War I=
{{Main|Serbian campaign}}
The 28 June 1914 assassination of Austrian Crown Prince Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo, by Gavrilo Princip, a pro-Serbian member of Young Bosnia served as the basis for the Austrian declaration of war on Serbia on 28 July 1914. Vienna acted despite Serbia's acceptance three days earlier of nearly all of Vienna's demands. Vienna was convinced that Serbia was behind the plot in an effort to destabilize the multi-nation empire.Richard C. Hall, "Serbia," in Richard F. Hamilton, and Holger H. Herwig, eds. The Origins of World War I (Cambridge UP, 2003) pp 92–111. The Austro-Hungarian army invaded Serbia capturing Belgrade on 2 December 1914, however the Serbian Army successfully defended the country, won several victories, and on 15 December 1914 recaptured Belgrade.James B. Lyon, Serbia and the Balkan Front, 1914: The Outbreak of the Great War (2015).
On 28 July 1914, Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia. Within days, long-standing mobilization plans went into effect to initiate invasions or guard against them and Russia, France and Britain stood arrayed against Austria and Germany. Austria-Hungary thought in terms of one small limited war involving just the two countries. It did not plan a wider war such as exploded in a matter of days and became the World War I.
British historian John Zametica argued that Austria-Hungary was primarily responsible for starting the war, as its leaders believed that a successful war against Serbia was the only way it could remain a Great Power, solve deep internal disputes caused by Hungarian demands, and regain influence in the Balkan states.John Zametica, In Folly and Malice (2017) Others, most notably prof. Christopher Clark, have argued that Austria-Hungary, confronted with a Serbia that seemed determined to incite continual unrest and ultimately acquire all of the "Serb" inhabited lands of the Monarchy (which, according to the Pan-Serb point of view included all of Croatia, Dalmatia, Bosnia, Hercegovina and some of the southern counties of the Hungary (roughly corresponding to today's Vojvodina), and whose military and government was intertwined with the irredentist terrorist group known as "The Black Hand", saw no practical alternative to the use of force in ending what amounted to subversion from Serbia directed at a large chunk of its territories. In this perspective, Austria-Hungary had little choice but to credibly threaten war and force Serbian submission if it wished to remain a Great Power.Christopher Clark, "The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914" 2012: Allen Lane, U.S. ed. 2013
Diplomatic relations
List of countries which Serbia maintains diplomatic relations with:
Multilateral relations
=European Union=
{{See also|Accession of Serbia to the European Union}}
Serbian foreign policy is focused on achieving the strategic goal of becoming a member state of the European Union (EU). Serbia officially applied for membership in the European Union in 2009, received a full candidate status in 2012 and started accession talks in 2014.{{cite web|url=http://www.se2009.eu/en/meetings_news/2009/12/22/serbia_apples_for_eu_membership|title=Serbia applies for EU membership|publisher=Swedish Presidency of the European Union|access-date=25 December 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100127101640/http://www.se2009.eu/en/meetings_news/2009/12/22/serbia_applies_for_eu_membership|archive-date=27 January 2010|url-status=dead}}{{cite news|url=http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/ec/137634.pdf|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20171010155436/http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/ec/137634.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 October 2017|work=Council of the European Union|title=EUROPEAN COUNCIL 27/28 JUNE 2013 CONCLUSIONS|date=27 June 2013|access-date=28 June 2013}}{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/EU-grants-Serbia-candidate-status/articleshow/12108156.cms |title=EU grants Serbia candidate status |newspaper=Times of India |date=2 March 2012 |access-date=24 May 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120417141835/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/europe/EU-grants-Serbia-candidate-status/articleshow/12108156.cms |archive-date=17 April 2012 }} The European Commission considers accession possible by 2030. After initial popular support for country's entry, it has held unfavorable domestic approval with support weakening since 2014.{{cite web|url=https://www.euronews.rs/srbija/politika/86954/poslanici-ep-usvojili-izvestaj-o-srbiji-bilcik-ocekujemo-od-politickih-lidera-da-zauzmu-jasan-stav-i-osude-rusiju/vest|title=Poslanici EP usvojili izveštaj o Srbiji, Bilčik: Očekujemo od političkih lidera da zauzmu jasan stav i osude Rusiju
|date=10 May 2023
|language=sr|access-date=10 May 2023}} International support for their accession is similarly mixed with concerns over Serbia's claim over Kosovo, regional geopolitical tensions, foreign policy alignment with Russia, and domestic policies.{{Cite web |last=Sergio |first=Gregorio |date=2023-11-14 |title=EU 'lacked momentum' on Balkan enlargement, says Serbia's Europe minister |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-lacked-momentum-on-balkan-enlargement-says-serbia-europe-minister/ |access-date=2023-12-16 |website=POLITICO |language=en}}
=NATO=
{{See also|Serbia–NATO relations}}
Serbia proclaimed military neutrality in 2007.[http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1238985121.47 Enclosed by NATO, Serbia ponders next move] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090407000013/http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1238985121.47 |date=7 April 2009 }} AFP, 6 April 2009 The relationship between Serbia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has been regulated in the context of an Individual Partnership Action Plan. Serbia is the only state in the Southeastern Europe that is not seeking NATO membership, having been the target of a 1999 NATO bombing, but also due to the ensuing secession of and territorial dispute with Kosovo, as well as a close relationship with Russia.{{cite web|url=https://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_Data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/128138.pdf|title=PRESS STATEMENT : EU facilitated dialogue: Agreement on Regional Cooperation and IBM technical protocol|website=Consilium.europa.eu|access-date=2 March 2022}}{{Cite journal|last=Ejdus|first=Filip|date=2014|title=Serbia's Military Neutrality: origins, effects and challenges|url=https://www.degruyter.com/downloadpdf/j/cirr.2014.20.issue-71/cirr-2014-0008/cirr-2014-0008.pdf|journal=Croatian International Relations Review|language=en|pages=43–69|doi=10.2478/cirr2014-0008|doi-broken-date=1 November 2024}}
Bilateral relations
=Africa=
=Americas=
=Asia=
=Europe=
=Oceania=
See also
References
{{reflist|30em}}
Further reading
- Schevill, Ferdinand. History of the Balkans (1922) [https://archive.org/details/historyofbalkans0000sche online]
- Stavrianos, L. S. The Balkans Since 1453 (1958), a comprehensive scholarly history
- Trivanovitch, Vaso. "Serbia, Russia, and Austria during the Rule of Milan Obrenovich, 1868-78" Journal of Modern History (1931) 3#3 pp. 414–440 [http://www.jstor.com/stable/1874957 online]
External links
{{commons category|International relations of Serbia}}
- [http://www.mfa.gov.rs/ Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia]
{{Foreign relations of Serbia}}
{{Foreign relations of Yugoslavia}}
{{Serbia topics}}
{{La Francophonie}}
{{OSCE}}
{{Council of Europe}}
{{Central European Free Trade Agreement}}
{{United Nations}}
{{Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation}}
{{Sovereign states of Europe}}
{{Foreign relations of Europe}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foreign Relations Of Serbia}}