THE DEVELOPMENT OF SERBIAN STATESHIP IN THE CONTEXT OF INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC LAW AND THE ROLE OF THE GREAT POWERS
THE DEVELOPMENT OF SERBIAN STATESHIP IN THE CONTEXT OF INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC LAW AND THE ROLE OF THE GREAT POWERS

Summary/Abstract: Posing the question regarding the statehood of the Republic of Serbia and the role of the great powers is extremely important, in order to see possible directions of further development of the Republic of Serbia based on the study of the historical context of the various circumstances that affected the Serbian statehood as such. History points us to important factors that we should keep in mind even in the current circumstances of the new geopolitical order and the rules of international public law, which largely have their roots in history. Although the circumstances have changed, the position of Serbia in international relations was constant, the reason for this should be found in the fact remains that due to its position in the Balkans, Serbia is a very important strategic hub where the interests of the great powers of the East and West meet. The actions of those powers can be clearly seen, both directly in bilateral diplomacy, and indirectly, through the influence of their political, economic and military alliances on the development of Serbia, with a great tendency to directly influence the position of Serbia. In the course of its development, Serbia acquired various forms of political organization as well as geographical dimensions, again under the great influence of the aforementioned political axes. The ever-increasing changes in the relations of major players on the geopolitical scene affected the very position of Serbia, both on the Balkan Peninsula and on the wider political scene. In certain periods, a great influence has been noted, more precisely the dominance of the Ottoman Empire, then later the role of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. Iin recent history, during the last century until today, the direct influence of Russia and the USA has changed in different phases, so that we can say that. Serbia, whether independent in its organization or in the composition of other joint states, has always strived to secure its independence, sometimes with less and sometimes with greater success. It is important that in those battles of great powers, the country’s leadership tried to recognize its own national interests and, accordingly, position itself as a bridge, not an obstacle or a bone of contention between these powerful actors. Certainly, it was not easy and simple to achieve, especially, it seems, in today’s current events. The Republic of Serbia has never faced a greater challenge to defend its statehood, territorial integrity and sovereignty, especially considering the current issue of the status of the Province of Kosovo and Metohija, the issue of which has undergone major changes even though it is based on international UN documents, among other things, Security Council Resolutions. This issue has gained in importance all the more, especially considering the unilateral proclamation of the independence of the Serbian Province and the recognition of the same entity, mainly by the countries of the so-called collective West, although not all countries, especially those within the EU, are in full agreement. Such a state of disunity of the European Union on an important issue of foreign policy not only creates and fuels new hot spots on fragile European soil with a tendency to secede without the consent of the home states, but also leads to the issue of consensual settlement of disputes of national origin, which is one of the basic principles of functioning of the European Union.

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