MOSCOW, October 22. /TASS/. Although the European Union may look attractive to many Serbs, Belgrade ‘will lose its identity’ if it agrees to all of Brussels’ demands, including recognizing Kosovo’s independence, Konstantin Kosachev, deputy speaker of Russia’s Federation Council, or upper house of parliament, said.
Public opinion in Serbia is divided on the issue of sovereignty, said Kosachev.
"We understand that attitudes toward NATO in Serbia are much more negative than those towards the European Union. For many Serbian citizens, the European Union represents a rather appealing prospect: visa-free travel and financial support, and, if you’ll pardon the expression, ‘lacy knickers’ - I’m talking about Kiev’s Maidan, where, so to speak, there was a great deal of talk about this. This is indeed appealing for many Serbs, but I suspect that if Serbia goes down the path of concessions and agrees to the European Union’s demands, it will simply lose its identity. After all, let me remind you that amongst these demands is the recognition of Kosovo’s independence," he told TASS.
Compliance with the European Union’s requirements is not a matter of "negotiations with the EU bureaucracy," but ultimately "a matter of national dignity," he added.