Serbia Shuns Ukraine’s Crimea Summit After Russian Diplomat’s Plea

Serbia will not participate in the Crimea Platform, a Ukrainian-organised international summit intended to help return the occupied peninsula to Kyiv’s control, after Russia’s ambassador urged Belgrade to avoid it.

Russian ambassador Alexander Bocan Harchenko at a meeting with Serbian parliament president Vladimir Orlic on September 16. Photo: Serbian Parliament

Serbia is not participating in Tuesday’s Crimea Platform summit in the Croatian capital Zagreb, with Croatian news agency Hina reporting that Belgrade was invited, but did not respond to the invitation.

The Crimea Platform is a Ukrainian initiative to unify international efforts to return Crimea to Ukraine. Its parliamentary summit is being attended by 42 delegations from 32 countries including the speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress, Nancy Pelosi.

Serbian officials have not commented on their non-participation, but N1 TV reported that it follows a meeting on September 16 between the Russian ambassador to Belgrade, Alexander Bocan Harchenko, and the president of the Serbian Parliament Vladimir Orlic.

At the meeting, the Russian ambassador “expressed the expectation that the delegation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia will not participate in the summit of the Crimea Platform”, according to a Serbian parliamentary note on the conversation reported by N1.

Although the summit is being supported by the Croatian government and parliament, President Zoran Milanovic said that he will not participate because he does not see the point of the event.

“I see a lot of cynicism and dishonesty towards the poor Ukrainian people and I do not want to be another poser who will participate in it,” Milanovic told media.

“As long as Croatia is not attacked and is not at war, I will not participate,” he added.