The President of Serbia Refuses BRICS Membership

The country is going to join the EU.

Serbia will not join the BRICS bloc, in which Russia is a member state, since the country is aimed at joining the European Union, said Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

It was his answer to the conclusions of the expert of the American Enterprise Institute Ivana Stradner, who stated that the Serbian president "dreams of abandoning the path to the European Union for the sake of membership in the BRICS," The Moscow Times notes.

“How does she know my thoughts? Did they put some kind of chip in me and now they are reading my thoughts, what I’m dreaming and thinking about? Did they all go crazy together? <...> I have the utmost respect for BRICS, but Serbia is on the European path, and Serbia will remain on it," Vučić said.

According to him, the source of such arguments is "Russian Telegram". Vučić noted that many are trying to push Serbia off the European path, but it remains on it "specifically to make them nervous."

Serbia may join the EU in a year, two or three – the terms depend "not on us, but on them," the head of the republic stressed. Belgrade applied for EU membership in 2009. Since 2012, Serbia has had the official status of a candidate for EU membership.

President of the European Council Charles Michel said that the EU and its candidates should set a "clear goal" for themselves and be ready to expand by 2030. According to him, by this time the Balkan countries, including Serbia, can join the EU.

In 2023, after the victory of Vučić's coalition in the parliamentary elections, he promised to “continue Serbia's journey” to Europe.