Poll: Russia, Greece and China Deemed Serbia's Friendliest Nations

Serbians perceive Russia, Greece and China as friendly countries, while Americans and Albanians are seen as their biggest enemies, according to a recent poll.

Belgrade

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Research carried out by the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy has revealed that none of the countries that have recognized Kosovo's independence are viewed as friendly by Serbians. "What connects Russia, Greece and China is that all three countries have not recognized Kosovo," says Sonja Stojanovic, Director of the centre. Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina, once viewed as Serbia's worst enemies, no longer appear on the list of the country's enemies. With the exception of Greece, no other EU member state made the list of countries perceived as being friendly to Serbia. "Kosovo is obviously very important for our citizens to declare how they view certain countries. Citizens have not forgotten that the former Yugoslavia disintegrated due to the will of the EU. If Serbia were, for example, to recognize the secession of part of France, there is no doubt that the French would not see us as friends," says historian Cedomir Antic. He goes on to note that America's involvement in the Yugoslav crisis was not a crucial factor at all, but rather the fact that the U.S. quickly became the strongest proponent of the disintegration of the country. The poll also split Serbia's political parties. According to the poll, voters of the Democratic Party of Serbia, DSS, the Serbian Radical Party, SRS, and the Serbian Progressive Party, SNS, see Russia as the country's best friend. In contrast, voters of the ruling coalition and the Liberal Democratic Party, LDP, avoided specifying which countries they considered friends or enemies of Serbia or those posing the biggest threat to the security of the country.