Serbia-Russia Security Agreement Worries Experts

Serbian Parliament. Photo: EPA/Koca Sulejmanovic

An agreement between Serbia's Interior Ministry and the Russian Security Service, which awaits adoption in the Serbian parliament, worries some MPs and experts, who fear its vagueness could cause problems.

Although the focus of the document is on cooperation between the two countries on "protected persons" - people under police protection - and facilities, other parts of the agreement detailing cooperation on "neutralization of computer attacks on state resources", or "in the field of internal security", cause concern.

The agreement that Serbian MPs need to approve has been signed already by the Serbian Interior Ministry and Russian Federal Security Service.

Although the document states that it was signed on May 23, 2017, the content only became public after it was listed more recently in material for the parliamentary session.

Opposition Nova Stranka MP and former Prime Minister, Zoran Zivkovic criticized the document and told the media on Thursday that it "threatens the sovereignty of Serbia in the field of security".

Defending the agreement, Interior Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic on Thursday responded that it would "contribute to the closer and better cooperation between [Serbian and Russian] institutions, and does not jeopardize the security of Serbia".

A report in the daily newspaper Blic said Stefanovic had explained that the focus of cooperation with the Russian Security Service, which is the part of the Russian Interior Ministry, would be on cooperation with "top security experts, protection of protected persons and facilities, exchange of information in that area, joint training, use of materials, technical and means of transport, equipment, weapons and means of communication during the performance...

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