In a tit-for-tat agreement, the South African government has secured the support of Serbia in SA’s bid for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.
In return, South Africa will back Serbia in its plea to the United Nations to refrain from granting full independence to Kosovo, which broke away from Serbia following a brutal war in 1998.
Kosovo unilaterally declared independence in 2008 and is administered by the United Nations.
According to Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, South Africa International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has pledged support for Serbia’s cause at the UN.
Jeremic visited South Africa on Monday, and is due to visit Namibia and Lesotho later this week.
“South Africa is continuing to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a fellow UN state, Serbia. South Africa has been a principled and staunch supporter that there can be no forceful partition of UN member states by means of unilateral secession.”
Jeremic is hoping that South Africa’s support will push other countries to support openly Serbia, although the United States and Britain have been staunch supporters of independence for Kosovo.
Jeremic — who at 35 is one of the youngest foreign ministers in the world — said if Kosovo was allowed to unilaterally secede from Serbia, it could set an international precedent.
“I can think of many parts of the world, including in Africa, where an ethnic or tribally motivated attempts at secession could be tried as a result of a Kosovo precedent.”
In Africa the artificial borders that separate people from the same ethnic group could become problematic.
“So if they [people from the same ethnic group] decide to say: ‘OK, it is our decision to change the border, our decision to become independent or join another country, it would be a Pandora’s box. We are not just defending Serbia’s territory, we are defending the international legal order as we know it.”
Serbia supported the ANC during the apartheid years and will hold celebrations in honour of the ANC’s centenary next year in Belgrade.
Jeremic, who counts Maite Nkoana-Mashabane as “a personal friend”, told the M&G several agreements were scheduled to signed when Nkoana-Mashabane visits Serbia, including agreements on defence, education, economy, culture and police cooperation.