Vu i returned home, Serbia made a comeback, and the United States played the Kosovo card

Mondo International Updated on 2024-02-04

Vučić returned home, Serbia made a comeback, and the United States played the Kosovo card

Our faith is rock-solid and cannot be violated by others. This is a solemn oath engraved above the entrance to the main entrance to the ancient city of Kotor in Montenegro, in the southwest of the Balkan Peninsula.

Tito, the founder of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, with his extraordinary courage and wisdom, led the Yugoslavs to win the independence and dignity of the country.

During World War II, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia quickly collapsed under the aggression of the Nazi army. However, the Yugoslav guerrillas under Tito's leadership developed into a resistance force of 80,000 men in just three months.

They adopted flexible guerrilla tactics and engaged in fierce battles with the German and Italian armies. The Yugoslav partisans were not only a resistance force, but also a formidable mountain combat force.

Under Tito's leadership, they liberated nearly half of the population of Yugoslavia, and the fascist German and Italian armies paid a heavy price. However, Tito was not satisfied with this.

He firmly defended the independence and dignity of Yugoslavia, even at the expense of a duel with a formidable enemy. His bravery and tenacity earned the Yugoslavs endless glory and respect.

Therefore, we can say without hesitation that Tito is a hero of Yugoslavia, and his image is forever etched in our hearts. His spirit and faith will continue to inspire us to uphold our beliefs and move forward bravely in the face of any difficulties and challenges.

Even so, the German-Italian troops were still in disarray during the Yugoslav campaign. By the end of the war, the Yugoslav partisans were growing in strength, and the anti-fascist armed forces led by Tito reached more than 400,000 people.

Except for the liberation of Belgrade, the Soviet army did not have a single German and Italian army in the vast territory of Yugoslavia that could withstand Tito's "iron plow" and was completely wiped out by Tito.

Therefore, after the end of World War II, Tito, with his firm determination and high prestige, created the image of an "iron man" in politics. Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Macedonia were reunited into the Yugoslav family under his leadership.

Although Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Macedonia all belong to the southern Slavic region and are collectively referred to as the "Yugoslavs", in fact, in the long process of cultural development, these six Yugoslavs have evolved differently towards different cultures, religions and customs.

For example, Slovenes speak Slovenian, Slovenes close to Italy tend to be Italian, while Slovenes closer to Austria are more German-Austrian, and they are generally Catholic or Orthodox, while Yugoslavs in places like Bosnia and Herzegovina are heavily Islamic.

Thus, although they are of the same Yugoslav lineage, differences in culture, beliefs, customs, and language make for obvious differences among Yugoslavs in different places.

There is also a large number of non-Yugoslav Albanians who profess Islam within the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. Albanians are mainly found in the Kosovo region, which is historically known as the "powder keg of the Balkans".

According to historians, around the 4th and 5th centuries BC, more than 40 Ikori Trache tribes, said to be the ancestors of the Albanians, lived and thrived in the Kosovo region.

Under the assimilation of the Slavs, the ancestors of the Albanians were gradually assimilated by the Yugoslavs. After that, the Yugoslavs established the Kingdom of Serbia in Kosovo, with its capital in Prizren in present-day Kosovo, and the Serbs became the main ethnic group in Kosovo.

If history had developed like this, the Kosovo issue would not have become so complicated. Unfortunately, the wheel of history has entered a new phase after the 14th century, and the demographic pattern of the Kosovo region, which is dominated by Serbs, has changed dramatically.

Beginning in the 14th century, the growing Ottoman Turkish Empire coveted Kosovo's treasures and extended its influence to the region. The Kingdom of Serbia fought several wars with the Ottoman Turkish Empire, but was eventually defeated by the Turks and became its vassal.

When the Turkish Sultan, in order to force the people of the Kosovo region to convert to Islam, imposed a high tax on pagans in Kosovo, Kosovo's Serbs were forced to flee, while Albanians constantly migrated there.

This led to the change in the structure of the majority population of Kosovo from Serbs to Albanians. Serbs consider Kosovo to be their birthplace and cradle of culture, while Albanians consider Kosovo to be their territory since ancient times.

This laid the groundwork for a complex intra-Yugoslav conflict. After the establishment of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Tito used forceful means and great prestige to unite the six autonomous republics, but he also tried to use flexible means to integrate the different ethnic groups of the autonomous republics and regions into a whole.

In particular, in his "social self-government" program, he encouraged the equal development of all ethnic groups and tried to change the development of backward regions by transferring the funds of the autonomous republics to *** to establish federal solidarity**.

However, Kosovo is the most economically backward region in Yugoslavia, while the Albanians, the fourth largest ethnic group in the country, occupy an absolute dominant position, and their economic and political status is low.

In the face of this situation, Tito's policy was undoubtedly the key to resolving the complex problems within Yugoslavia. However, this policy also has its drawbacks. It is well known that the level of economic development in Croatia and Slovenia is significantly better than in other autonomous republics and regions.

Croatia retains only 7% of the 50% of the foreign exchange earnings of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and the remaining 43% must be fully paid to the ** treasury.

From 1965 to 1970, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia used 46 of this **6% to help Kosovo improve its level of economic development, while only 16 percent were spent on Croatia5%, which caused discontent in other autonomous republics such as Croatia.

Yugoslavia, under Tito's helm, has delivered an impressive report card in economic construction, achieving that 36% of households own a car, or 18 TVs and 8 years of free compulsory education.

The rapid economic development and the improvement of the people's living standards have downplayed the complexity of the Kosovo issue. However, all this turned into a dream after Tito's death and on the occasion of the collapse of the Soviet Union.

The Union of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ceased to exist, the autonomous republics embarked on the path of independent development, and the deterioration of the political situation and the collapse of the economy made Kosovo no longer satisfied with merely being an "autonomous province" of Serbia.

Under these circumstances, Serbia, in order to maintain national unity, met with the Kosovo soldiers, who were about to move. Yugoslav Milosevic said: "Kosovo is the holy land of Serbia, whether for historical reasons or for national feelings, Serbia will never give up Kosovo, and whoever loses Kosovo will become Serbia's sinner for the ages." ”

Driven by the firm determination to safeguard national sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the "Kosovo Liberation Army" waged a fierce struggle, and at this time, Western countries feared that the war would trigger a large number of refugees and demanded a ceasefire between the two sides.

In order to squeeze out Russia, the United States did not hesitate to threaten the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in the name of negotiations and demanded that the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia stop its military action to defend national unity. The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was not intimidated by the US-led NATO and continued to carry out military operations to defend national unity.

Annoyed and angry, the United States rallied NATO to launch an air strike against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia for nearly three months under the pretext of "protecting human rights." The Chinese people have strengthened their determination to consolidate Sino-Serbian friendship.

The Russians have a much longer history of contacts with Serbia. Although the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union once turned from friendship to dispute, as the only country in the world with the strength to compete with the United States, the Soviet Union had a decisive influence in the socialist camp in Eastern and Southeastern Europe.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was only natural for Russia to take over the Eastern European sphere of influence left over from the Soviet era. In the post-Soviet era, although Russia is no longer Serbia's most important strategic partner, it is still Serbia's traditional friend.

In contrast, although the traditional friendship between China and Serbia is not as long as that of Russia, the peoples of the two countries have struggled side by side against the Soviet Union's "great power chauvinism" since the founding of the country in the last century.

Not only that, but the peoples of the two countries have also had more extensive and profound exchanges at the people-to-people level. Films such as "The Bridge" and "Walter Defends Sarajevo" of the Yugoslav Federation have profoundly influenced a generation, and "Ah, Goodbye Friend" has become a popular war song at that time.

Serbia is Russia's strategic partner in Eastern Europe, but due to NATO pressure, it is difficult for Russia to take care of Serbia. China is Serbia's most trustworthy and comprehensive strategic partner at present.

The United States is playing the China card on the Kosovo issue, on the one hand, trying to force China to recognize Kosovo's independence, and on the other hand, testing China's bottom line. China has a resolute attitude toward the Kosovo issue, does not recognize Kosovo's independence, and fully supports the cause of Serbian national reunification.

The behavior of the United States and NATO on the Kosovo issue may once again aggravate the situation in Serbia, and China will decide how to help Serbia according to the development of events. Serbia's Vučić arrived in China on the opening day of the Beijing Winter Olympics and met with his senior leaders to reflect the critical situation facing Serbia.

In a cordial and friendly atmosphere, China once again emphasized the iron-clad relations between China and Cyprus and stressed that the friendship between China and Cyprus has passed the test of changes in the international situation.

There is no explicit oath in these short words, but the implicit message is undoubtedly a well-intentioned warning to some countries, and it takes a political veteran to truly grasp it.

At a time when Serbia's domestic situation is changing, China has given the necessary support and attitude at a critical time, instilling strong confidence in Serbia. Soon after the meeting, Vučić attended the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics and quickly returned to China.

If the United States tries to use the Kosovo issue to play the Chinese card, it must clearly consider the consequences. No matter how the situation develops in the future, China and Serbia will always stand on the same front, which has been tested for a long time and cannot be doubted.

In general, the friendship between China and Cyprus is unbreakable, and any Western country that tries to undermine this friendship will be remembered by the Chinese and Cypriot peoples on the pillar of shame in history.

Related Pages