(Bloomberg) -- Serbia needs to take a clear position on Russia's war on Ukraine to prevent the Balkan nation's reluctance to embrace sanctions from harming its European Union integration goals, Slovakia's top diplomat said.
While Serbia has voted on the resolution that condemned Russia's invasion, EU nations are watching to see whether it will adopt sanctions imposed on Moscow, Slovak Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok told reporters on Wednesday.
“We are watching very closely where they stand in the middle of this conflict,” Korcok said in Bratislava. “If it is not clear where they stand regarding this aggression, it will have an impact on their integration.”
Serbia, which holds presidential and parliamentary elections on April 3, has been maintaining a balancing act between its EU ambitions and its close ties with Russia. The nation relies on Russia for oil and gas supply and hopes to sign a new, long-term contract with Gazprom before the current arrangement expires in June.
The nation's prospective EU membership hinges on implementing reforms and mending ties with Kosovo, whose secession from Serbia in 2008 isn't recognized by the government in Belgrade. The blunt message is unusual for an official from Slovakia, one of five EU member states that haven't recognized Kosovo's sovereignty and that's often seen as a keen supporter of integrating Balkan states into the bloc.
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