While Skopje has spent years waiting at Brussels' door like at a counter in a town hall, Belgrade sat down in Washington yesterday and signed agreements on energy, the military, 5G and space. Not through the EU, not through anyone - directly with the State Department. Serbia opened what it calls a „new chapter” in relations with America, and the Balkans are once again watching who stands where on the geopolitical chessboard.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Đurić led the first strategic dialogue between the two countries. From the American side, the message was that the dialogue strengthens cooperation aimed at peace, security and prosperity. From the Serbian side - that an „institutional framework for further strategic cooperation” is beginning. This year marks 145 years of diplomatic relations.

Power, networks and money

The two countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding on energy infrastructure and regional energy security. Washington welcomed Serbia's earlier decision to proceed with the Đerdap III hydroelectric plant, as the first venture under the energy agreement and a step toward Serbian energy independence. At the same time, the US Exim Bank approved a 50-million-dollar export credit guarantee for Telekom Serbia, to build 5G networks with „trusted suppliers”.

The phrase „trusted suppliers” is no accident. It's a diplomatic way of saying: not Chinese. Serbia, which for years balanced between Moscow, Beijing and the West, is now sending a signal in one direction. The question is how long that balance will last - and what it will mean for the neighbors.

Weapons, demining and space

The two sides promised more intensive military cooperation and praised the two decades of close work between the Ohio National Guard and the Serbian army. Serbia requested to buy American defense equipment in order to align its armed forces. The US also set aside 1.5 million dollars for civilian demining - clearing mines and unexploded ordnance, a legacy the Balkans know all too well.

The agreement reaches into space as well: Serbia is joining the Artemis program and signing the Artemis Accords for deep-space exploration. A memorandum on Fulbright scholarships was also signed, with a Serbian contribution of 300,000 dollars a year. Belgrade announced the opening of new consulates in Miami and San Francisco, and the US confirmed its participation in the specialized EXPO 2027 in Belgrade.

Đurić said the strategic dialogue would ensure „regular, continuous and structured communication at a high level”. Translated from the diplomatic: Serbia now has a direct line to Washington that many countries in the region don't have. Macedonia is a NATO member, has been waiting on the EU for decades, and yet has no such package of agreements on the table. Does membership in alliances bring this kind of treatment, or do only those who know how to negotiate with all sides at once get offers like these?