Forgotten World (200): Serbia
Effectively Serbia – a country of 7.3 million – is what is left over from the collapse and break-up of the former Communist state of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. The six republics of the old Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia, which was proclaimed in 1945, comprised Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Hercegovina and Macedonia. Serbia became a stand-alone sovereign republic in summer 2006 after Montenegro voted in a referendum for independence from the Union of Serbia and Montenegro.
Though the current Serbian government is pro-Western and sees eventual membership of the EU as being in the country’s best interests, Serbia is traditionally an ally of Russia, which supported its opposition to Kosovo’s independence. In 2008, Serbia-Russia ties were further strengthened by the signing of a major energy deal, and in October 2009 Russia granted Serbia a 1bn euro (£0.9bn) loan to help it cover its budget deficit after the economy was hit hard by the global downturn.
March 2nd, 2010 at 9:08 am
It is in the interest of Serbia to keep relation with Russia and make it further strengthen