Cooperation urged amid turbulence

Former Serbian foreign minister calls on Europe to reassess ties with China

For Vuk Jeremic, former president of the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly and former Serbian foreign minister, the storm is no longer distant — the world is in the midst of geopolitical turbulence, and while the roof is leaking, the time for structural reforms has passed — at least for now.

"You gotta wait for the rain to stop in order to fix the roof," he said in an exclusive interview with China Daily, adding that Europe had been under anesthesia for decades. "Europe should have woken up many, many years ago. Sadly, it hasn't," he said, referring to Europe-US relations.

He said the awakening did not come through self-reflection but through external events, beginning with United States President Donald Trump's shake-up of the foundational links of the transatlantic alliance, followed by the evolving Ukraine conflict, where the US has left its European allies watching from the sidelines. Jeremic said he believes this might set off a chaotic search for relevance and strategic direction.