Serbia refused to play ball on Hungary’s TurkStream gambit, expert says
Viktor Orban (Photo: REUTERS/Marton Monus)
Hungarian PM Viktor Orban hoped to blame Ukraine for a possibly
staged sabotage attempt targeting the TurkStream
gas pipeline, but Serbian authorities refused to take part, Ihor Semyvolos,
director of the Association of Middle East Studies, told NV Radio on April 7.
Semyvolos suggested the likely false flag operation was designed to shore up Orban’s chances ahead of the April 12 elections, probably inspired by Russian political consultants advising the Hungarian leader.
“If we go back to the attempted imitation of a bombing on the TurkStream pipeline in Serbia, you should understand that Russian political technologists have long been based in Budapest, and Ukrainian intelligence has warned for some time about the possibility of provocations in which these specialists have considerable experience, particularly ahead of elections,” the expert said.
“That this happened is not surprising — it demonstrates a Russian trace, a Russian calling card in this dirty game. I hope Serbia’s measured response and its unwillingness to play by Moscow’s and Budapest’s rules show that the provocation has failed.”
He said relations between Kyiv and Belgrade are moving in a positive direction, “not least because the Ukrainian embassy there has been active.”
“I think it’s important that both sides listen to one another and see a shared interest,” Semyvolos added.
“In recent months I’ve had the sense that such a shared interest has emerged: more contacts, more cooperation, more mutual understanding.”
Semyvolos warned that Moscow will keep trying to disrupt the
work of Ukraine’s embassy in Serbia.
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