The President of Serbia announces that the state of alert in the country has been raised to the maximum and justifies the move by stating that it aims to protect Serbia’s sovereignty and protect its lands and citizens from any aggression.
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Serbian Defense Minister Miloš Vucevic
Serbian Defense Minister Miloš Vucevic announced that the President of the Republic, Commander-in-Chief of the Serbian Army Aleksandar Vucic “ordered to put the national army on maximum alert”.
Serbian Tanjug News Agency quoted Vucevic as saying, “The President of Serbia, as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, has ordered the Serbian Army to be at the highest level of combat readiness, readiness to use force military, that is, to mobilize the armed capabilities of the Serbian army”.
According to the Serbian minister: “This elevates us to the highest level of readiness for the actions that the Serbian army must take, to preserve the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia, to protect all Serbian citizens and to prevent massacres and terrorism against the Serbs, wherever they live”.
The defense secretary noted that the president had ordered an increase in “combat readiness”, taking into consideration the situation in the autonomous province of Kosovo and Metohija, and the fact that the Kosovo Albanian authorities continue to prepare to attack the Serbs and forcibly remove the barricades” in the region.
Vucevic underlined that “Belgrade is concerned about the soft reaction of the international community and the rejection of negotiations and political dialogue on the grounds, and not on the consequences that have led to this type of political struggle of the Serbian community in the autonomous province”. as he said.
And it was Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has sent the army chief to the border with KosovoWith the continuous deterioration of relations between the two parties to the conflict and fears of being dragged into an “armed conflict”.
“The situation is tense and complicated”, said the commander of the Serbian army, general Milan Moiselovic, in an interview with the local channel “Baytak TV”, adding that “the presence of the Serbian army along the border is necessary”.
Shortly before Mošelović departed for the border, several Serbian media outlets broadcast a video showing sounds of gunfire, citing sources that a “fight” unfolded on Sunday evening when Kosovo forces tried to dismantle a checkpoint, denied by the Kosovo Police.
For its part, the NATO-led peacekeeping force said it was investigating “an indirect shooting incident that occurred on December 25, in the vicinity of its patrol, which included an unknown number of gunmen.”
And it was Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic has warned that the situation in Kosovo is “on the brink of an armed conflict”, while Serbs are erecting checkpoints inside the province. As indicated newspaper “Le Monde” Until last week, Brnabic’s statement: “It seemed truer than ever when the Serbian army was brought into combat readiness on Monday evening.”
And it was Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs I recently warned that ignoring international law on Kosovo “prefers the start of a full-scale conflict in the Balkans.”
It is worth noting that Resolution No. 1244 of the United Nations Security Council states that “Kosovo is an integral part of Serbia and that the arbitrary treatment of the principle of territorial integrity, vis-à-vis a sovereign state, can only be considered a blatant interference in its internal affairs.”
background of the recent escalation
Tensions have risen and remain high in Kosovo and Metohija after the Kosovo Police arrested a number of former Serbian policemen for crimes allegedly dating back to the 1998-1999 conflict.
In response, Kosovo Serbs erected checkpoints in the north of the province.
The Serbian army also left Kosovo and Metohija after the 1999 conflict, and declared independence in 2008, but Belgrade refuses to acknowledge this step and encourages the remaining Serbian population of 120,000 to rebel against separatist authority of Pristina, which enjoys partial international recognition.
And before asked Serbia From the leadership of the Kosovo Force, “KFOR”, to allow it to deploy its soldiers and police in the north of the country, without receiving a response so far, despite the skepticism of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic on accepting the request, considered legitimate under the agreement of peace signed.
While the president of Kosovo Fyuza Osmani rejected this proposal, saying: “Vucic knows very well that the presence of the Serbian army in Kosovo ended in 1999”.
In addition, tensions rose dramatically in northern Kosovo as Pristina announced its intention to hold elections in Serb-majority municipalities.
Interestingly, the largest Serbian party has announced a boycott of the polls, while the Kosovar authorities have postponed the elections to next April.
