Relationship dossier
Serbia
United Kingdom
Relationship assessment
A cooperative partnership shaped by disagreement over Kosovo’s status
Serbia toward United Kingdom
+15Serbia entered a strategic partnership with the United Kingdom in 2016, providing a framework for bilateral cooperation. Serbia’s opposition to the UK’s recognition of Kosovo remains a significant point of disagreement.
United Kingdom toward Serbia
+10The United Kingdom has supported Serbia’s European integration and entered a strategic partnership with Serbia in 2016. Its recognition of Kosovo’s independence conflicts with Serbia’s position on Kosovo’s status.
Overall relationship
+10The relationship combines a formal strategic partnership and cooperation with a durable dispute over Kosovo. The partnership supports practical ties, but the Kosovo disagreement limits the degree of alignment.
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
Serbia and the United Kingdom maintain a bilateral strategic partnership and cooperate on areas including security and economic ties. The relationship is constrained by Serbia’s opposition to the UK’s recognition of Kosovo and by differing positions on Kosovo’s status. The breadth and implementation of cooperation are not clear enough to characterize the partnership as close.
Areas of tension
- Kosovo’s status: the United Kingdom recognizes Kosovo’s independence, while Serbia rejects it.
Key developments
Serbia and the United Kingdom established a strategic partnership to broaden bilateral cooperation.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of cooperation under the bilateral strategic partnership are unclear.
- The extent of current government cooperation across security and economic issues is uncertain.