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Aleksandar Vulin sanctioned by the USA, decorated by Moscow
2024-01-29 16:05:02 / BOTA
The former director of the Serbian intelligence agency, Aleksandar Vulin, has been decorated by the director of the Russian Federal Security Service, Aleksandar Bortnikov, for what he said was "extraordinary professionalism and contribution to cooperation between the Serbian and Russian services."
Aleksandar Vulin, who was director of the Serbian Security and Information Agency known as BIA until November last year, leads the Serbian Socialist Movement party and has long been a partner in the governing coalition led by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.
At the beginning of November of last year, he resigned, four months after being sanctioned by the United States, for involvement in corrupt and destabilizing activities that undermine the rule of law in the Western Balkans and for assisting Moscow in malicious activities and for links with an arms dealer and a drug trafficking ring.
After his resignation, he was appointed a senator in the Republika Srpska by the president of that entity in Bosnia, Milorad Dodik.
There was no comment from Serbian authorities on his decoration by Moscow, but the Movement of Free Citizens, a political organization in Serbia, said the decoration "put an end to the suspicion that the so-called military neutrality is actually just a cover for the influence of of Russia in these regions".
The official of this movement, Aris Movsesijan, said that Serbia should distance itself from the "decoration of Vulin" if it "continues its path towards the European Union and creates its foreign policy in that direction".
Aleksandar Vulin served as Serbia's interior minister in the previous government and previously held the post of defense minister before becoming director of the Serbian Intelligence Agency in 2022.
As Serbia's interior minister, Vulin visited Moscow in August 2022, a rare visit by a European state official that underscored Belgrade's refusal to join Western sanctions against Russia over its aggression in Ukraine.
Serbia, which officially seeks membership in the European Union, has been deviating from its path to the EU for years, turning to its traditional Slavic ally, Russia, as well as China.
Aleksandar Vulin has said Serbia should abandon its EU membership bid and turn to Moscow, often attacking Serbia's neighboring states and their leaders and calling them derogatory names. He has been banned from entering Croatia, a member of the EU.
He has defended the creation of the so-called "Serb World" - a copy of the "Russian World", which would unite all Serbs in the Balkans under a banner led by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic./ VOA
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