US values Serbia’s people concern over violence in DC; official Belgrade silent

REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

The US embassy to Serbia issued a statement on Friday, condemning the violence in Washington, at the country’s Capitol, and said it appreciated the concerns Serbia’s people expressed over the event, but an opposition politician blamed the authorities for the lack of reaction, while an analyst warned their silence would be remembered.

„Acts of political violence, such as what we witnessed at the United States Capitol on January 6, are unacceptable and appalling. There can be no minimizing of this event. The disgraceful storming and invasion of the Capitol remind us of the importance of safeguarding and protecting democracy. The incident should also serve as another clear warning on the inflammatory nature of unchecked misinformation, conspiracy theories, and lies,“ the embassy said in the statement.

It added that „there is no perfect government on the planet. Yet, democracy is our best hope for allowing a society to address its ills and solve its problems peacefully, institutionally, and transparently.“

„Our democratic institutions are prevailing. In fact, within hours of the violence, our Congress met again and completed their constitutional duty to confirm the election of Joseph Biden as the next President of the United States. We appreciate the expressions of concerns from the citizens of Serbia over these acts of political violence, and their reaffirmations of support for the United States.“

Later on Friday, Serbia’s former diplomat and now an opposition politician Borko Stefanovic said the silence of official Belgrade following the unrest in Washington was not surprising due to previous support the leaders expressed to the US outgoing President Donald Trump.

„People like (Serbia’s President ) Aleksandar Vucic, (Hungarian Prime Minister) Viktor Orbán, (Turkish President) Recep Tayyip Erdoğan or (Slovenian Prime Minister) Janez Jansa, are politicians who publically supported Donald Trump. They were among a few world leaders who did that, directly interfering in the American elections in a way possibly harmful to their countries,“ Stefanovic told N1.

According to him, that is why the Belgrade silence after the unprecedented violence at the Capitol is not surprising.

„I don’t know what they could say and at the same time avoid to look even more caricatural and funny than they already are,“ Stefanovic added.

Serbia’s opposition also hasn’t publically commented on the event. There are no statements on their parties’ websites.

Stefanovic tried to justified that by saying that they (the Party of Freedom and Justice) „were afraid to look pretentious, adding he believed that it was the authorities’ duty.“

Bosko Jaksic, a political analyst, said the absence of Serbia’s reaction could be understood since  Vucic was ideologically closer to Trump than to the President-elect Joe Biden.

„To stand by him (Trump) after everything, would be politically unwise. To praise Biden would be unsincere and that could explain why the official Belgrade keeps silent. But why the pro-democratic and pro-Europen opposition does the same is an enigma. Instead of politically profiting, they celebrate Christmas (on January 7, according to the Julian calendar),“ Jaksic told N1.

He added that in diplomacy, such gestures would always be recorded.

„This silence is not registered only in Washington, but in Berlin, Paris…,“ Jaksic warned.