Russia and the Serbs (Serbia), from eastern question to contemporary relations

Petrović, Dragan (2020) Russia and the Serbs (Serbia), from eastern question to contemporary relations. In: Russia and Serbia in the Contemporary World : bilateral relations, challenges and opportunities. Institute of International politics and economics, Belgrade, pp. 98-114. ISBN 978-86-7067-278-9

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Abstract

Tsarist Russia defined its policy towards the Balkans, including Serbian territories, mostly within the framework of the Eastern Question. The fall and collapse of the Ottoman Empire after 1683, until the end of the First World War, meant the liberation and unification of the conquered Christian, mostly Orthodox peoples of the Balkan Peninsula and, at the same time, increased the influence of Russia, the Habsburg Monarchy and some other European powers. Russia’s advantage within the Eastern Question was its cultural closeness with the Orthodox, especially Slavic peoples of the Balkans, and the joint centuries-long cooperation in the fight against the Ottoman Empire, which helped the liberation and unification of the Serbian and Yugoslav peoples. In the epoch of the existence of the USSR, that role became more complicated during the twentieth century because of the ideological issues, world wars, and then the relations between the superpowers and the two opposing blocs. After the disappearance of the USSR and the SFR Yugoslavia, modern Russia has renewed its cooperation and influence in the Balkans on new foundations. In the foreground is the energy policy of Russia, then the economics, but also the cultural and historical closeness. The gradual process of transforming the world order towards multipolarism and the military neutrality of Serbia (both BiH and the Republic of Srpska) also represent a connecting factor. Serbia’s foreign policy concept of cooperation with several world centers of power (EU, Russia, USA, and China) also affects the deepening of cooperation with Russia. An important issue is Russia’s support for Serbian interests regarding the problem of Kosovo and Metohija and the position of the Republic of Srpska.

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