 | |
 NATO |  Serbia |
|---|---|
Since 2015, the relationship betweenSerbia and theNorth Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has been regulated in the context of anIndividual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP).
Enhanced Opportunity Partner |
Yugoslavia'scommunist government sided with theEastern Bloc at the beginning of theCold War, but pursued a policy ofneutrality following theTito–Stalin split in 1948.[1] It was afounding member of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1961. Sincethat country's dissolution most of itssuccessor states have joined NATO, but the largest of them,Serbia, has maintained Yugoslavia's policy of neutrality.
TheNATO intervention in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1995 againstBosnian-Serbian forces during theBosnian War and in 1999 in theKosovo War bybombing targets in Serbia (then part ofFR Yugoslavia) strained relations between Serbia and NATO.[2] After the overthrow of PresidentSlobodan Milošević,Serbia wanted to improve its relations with NATO. However membership in the military alliance remained highly controversial, because among political parties and large sections of society there were still resentments due to the bombings in 1999.[3][4] In the years under Prime MinisterZoran Đinđić the country (thenSerbia and Montenegro) did not rule out joining NATO. However, afterĐinđić's assassination in 2003, Serbia increasingly started pursuing a course of military neutrality.[5][6]National Assembly of Serbia passed a resolution in 2007 which declared theirmilitary neutrality until such time as a referendum was held on the issue.[7]
Serbia joined thePartnership for Peace programme during the2006 Riga Summit. While this programme is sometimes the first step towards full NATO membership, it was uncertain whether Serbia perceives it as signaling an intent to join the alliance.[8] However, the West's broadrecognition ofKosovo's contesteddeclaration of independence in February 2008, while it was aprotectorate of the United Nations with security support from NATO, further strained relations between Serbia and NATO.
Although current Serbian priorities do not include NATO membership, the Alliance offeredSerbia an invitation to enter theintensified dialogue programme in 2008 whenever the country was ready.[9] On 1 October 2008, Serbian Defence MinisterDragan Šutanovac signed the Information Exchange Agreement with the NATO, one of the prerequisites for fuller membership in thePartnership for Peace programme.[10]
In April 2011 Serbia's request for anIndividual Partnership Action Plan was approved by NATO,[11] and Serbia submitted a draft IPAP in May 2013.[12] The agreement was finalized on 15 January 2015.[13][14] It regularly participates in its military maneuvers, and hosted a joint civil protection exercise with NATO in 2018.[15][16]
Following the start of theRussian invasion of Ukraine, several neutral states reconsidered their alignment, includingFinland andSweden which applied for NATO membership. However, Serbian PresidentAleksandar Vučić, reiterated in that his government was not interested in NATO membership.[17] The minorSerbian Renewal Movement, which has two seats in theNational Assembly, and theLiberal Democratic Party, which currently has none, remain the most vocal political parties in favor of NATO membership.[18] TheDemocratic Party abandoned its pro-NATO attitude, claiming the Partnership for Peace is enough.
Serbia maintainsclose relations with Russia, due to their shared Slavic and Eastern Orthodox culture but also due to its support on the Kosovo issue. Serbia and Belarus are the only European states which refused to impose sanctions on Russia in response to itsinvasion of Ukraine.[19][20][21]
An opinion poll in 2007 showed that 28% of Serbian citizens supported NATO membership, with 58% supporting thePartnership for Peace.[22] However, following NATO's open support to Kosovo's declaration of independence in 2008, support for NATO integration significantly dropped. The 2022 poll found that 82% of Serbians opposed joining NATO, while only 10% supported the idea.[23]
| Dates conducted | Pollster | Client | Sample size | Support | Opposed | Neutral orDK | Lead | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 March 2024 | Sweden acceedes to NATO | |||||||
| February 2024 | NSPM | 1000 | 7.6% | 84.6% | 7.8% | 77% | [24] | |
| September 2023 | NSPM | 1100 | 7.5% | 84.2% | 8.3% | 76.7% | [25] | |
| August 2023 | NSPM | 1000 | 7.5% | 84.2% | 8.3% | 76.7% | [26] | |
| June 2023 | NSPM | 1100 | 9.4% | 84.6% | 6% | 75.2% | [27] | |
| May 2023 | NSPM | 1000 | 8.3% | 83.5% | 8.2% | 75.2% | [28] | |
| 4 April 2023 | Finland acceedes to NATO | |||||||
| April 2023 | NSPM | 1000 | 8% | 85.4% | 6.6% | 77.4% | [29] | |
| 24 February 2022 | Russia invades Ukraine | |||||||
| March 2022 | Ninamedia | Institute for European Affairs | 1228 | 10% | 82% | 8% | 72% | [23] |
| March 2017 | Ninamedia | Institute for European Affairs | 1204 | 11% | 84% | 5% | 73% | [30] |
| 16 March 2014 | Russia annexes Crimea | |||||||
| 7 August 2008 | Russia invades Georgia | |||||||
| September 2007 | TNS Medium Gallup | Angus Reid Global Monitor | 1000 | 28% | 55% | 17% | 27% | [22] |
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Partnership for Peace | 2006-12-14 |
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