Relationship dossier
Norway
Serbia
Relationship assessment
Norway supports Serbia’s European integration and provides assistance, while its recognition of Kosovo remains a major bilateral disagreement.
Norway toward Serbia
+10The Norwegian government has supported Serbia’s European integration and provided development assistance. Norway’s recognition of Kosovo, however, conflicts with Serbia’s position on Kosovo’s status.
Serbia toward Norway
+10The Serbian government has engaged in practical bilateral cooperation with Norway, including defence cooperation. Serbia’s opposition to Kosovo’s independence remains a significant disagreement with Norway.
Overall relationship
+10The relationship includes sustained development and European-integration cooperation, as well as practical defence ties. Norway’s recognition of Kosovo and Serbia’s rejection of Kosovo’s independence create a persistent bilateral dispute.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Norway has supported Serbia’s European integration and provided development assistance, while recognizing Kosovo—a major point of disagreement with the Serbian government. The countries also maintain practical bilateral cooperation, including in defence. Their relationship combines cooperation with a persistent dispute over Kosovo.
Areas of tension
- Norway recognizes Kosovo, while Serbia rejects Kosovo’s independence.
Key developments
Norway recognized Kosovo’s independence, a decision opposed by Serbia.
Norway and Serbia concluded a defence-cooperation arrangement.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and current implementation of bilateral defence cooperation are unclear.
- The scale and priorities of current Norwegian assistance to Serbia are unclear.