FLASH
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The latest clash with Montenegro is just the latest episode in Aleksandar Vučić's harsh rhetoric towards neighboring countries. After attacks on the Albania-Kosovo-Croatia military alliance and ongoing tensions with Zagreb and Podgorica, the Serbian president is restoring a climate of political and diplomatic clashes in the Balkans.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić is bringing back one of the old games of Serbian politics in the Balkans: tensions with neighbors as an instrument for strengthening domestic power and increasing regional influence.
The recent clash with Montenegro is the clearest example of this strategy. Vučić refused to attend the ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of Montenegro's independence, stating that he could not celebrate "separation from Serbia."
" Celebrating something like that would be a shame for me. I would be spitting in my own and my people's faces ," he declared publicly, immediately sparking fierce reactions in Podgorica.
Montenegro's Foreign Ministry immediately responded to Belgrade, calling Vučić's rhetoric inappropriate and harmful to relations between the two countries. Podgorica stressed that Montenegro's independence is not an act against Serbia or the Serbian people and accused the Serbian president of politically exploiting history.
But Belgrade did not back down. The Serbian Foreign Ministry reacted by accusing the Montenegrin authorities of artificially creating tensions and attacking the Serbian president “without any real reason.”
Vučić then published a long letter to the citizens of Montenegro, in which he stated that Serbia "has always loved Montenegro more than it was loved by it," but added that Belgrade cannot support policies that, according to him, conflict with Serbian interests.
This clash did not come by chance. Relations between Serbia and Montenegro have remained fragile for years, especially after Podgorica's entry into NATO and its rapprochement with the European Union. Vučić continues to play on identity sensitivities in Montenegro, where a part of the population declares itself Serbian and where the Serbian Orthodox Church has great political and social influence.
But Montenegro is just one part of the mosaic of tensions that Vučić is building in the region.
A few months ago, the Serbian president attacked the military agreement between Albania, Kosovo and Croatia, claiming that Serbia is preparing for “attacks” from its neighbors. He publicly warned that Belgrade is arming itself and mentioned the Chinese hypersonic missiles that Serbia has introduced into its arsenal.
In Croatia, Vučić has repeatedly clashed with President Zoran Milanović and Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, while he continues to maintain a strong nationalist rhetoric towards Kosovo.
This strategy is also linked to his growing isolation in the region and Europe. Vučić's two closest pro-Russian allies are weakening politically: Milorad Dodik in Bosnia faces strong international pressure, while Viktor Orbán in Hungary no longer has the same political weight as before.
In this situation, Vučić is increasingly relying on Russia and China. Serbia continues to reject sanctions against Moscow and is strengthening strategic cooperation with Beijing, especially in the military and infrastructure sectors.
Domestically, nationalist rhetoric remains the Serbian president's strongest political weapon. Whenever he faces pressure or internal discontent, he returns to the narrative of "Serbia endangered by its neighbors."
But this game comes at a cost for the region. The Balkans remain fraught with historical tensions, and any aggressive statement brings back the shadows of the 1990s. Vučić may not be seeking real conflict, but he is restoring a climate of constant political and diplomatic clashes in the region — a strategy the Balkans know all too well. /Pamphlet
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