Russian Diplomat's Visit Highlights Serbia's Dilemma

Sergei Lavrov flies in on Wednesday for a two-day visit as Belgrade keeps up its balancing act between Moscow and the West - a point that the Russian foreign minister was keen to highlight as he urged the EU not to force Serbia to sever its alliance with Russia.

Lavrov argued that trying to push Belgrade into signing up to Brussels-backed sanctions against Russia would be to repeat the mistakes the EU made in pushing Kiev westwards before the armed conflict in Ukraine broke out.

"To try to demand from the government in Belgrade to make a choice: whether you are with Russia or you are with the West, well, it is to step on the same rake as in the Ukrainian crisis," he told Euronews on Saturday.

The occasion for his visit is the 180th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, and Lavrov will meet Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic.

But although Russia is Serbia's ally over issues like the independence of Kosovo, Belgrade wants to join the EU, not the Moscow-led Eurasian Economic Union which includes countries like Belarus and Kazakhstan.

There are also serious differences of opinion within Serbian society about whether the country should align itself fully with the West or Moscow.

To explore this debate, BIRN asked two analysts - the head of the Centre for Euro-Atlantic Studies, Jelena Milic, known for her pro-NATO stance, and Belgrade-based analyst, Dragomir Andjelkovic, known for his pro-Russian stance - to talk about the key issues from their contrasting standpoints.

What do you think will be on the agenda of Lavrov's meeting with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic?

Jelena Milic: I...