The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, stated that Serbia is asking Turkey to respect international law and the interests of the Serbian people, assessing that the shipment of drones from Turkey to Kosovo is “illegal.”
A day earlier, authorities in Kosovo announced that they had received containers with “thousands of kamikaze combat drones” of the Skydagger type.
Following this announcement made by Kosovo’s acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, Belgrade criticized Ankara.
“My duty is to build good relations with Turkey, just as it is my duty that, when I see my people endangered by an illegal shipment of weapons, I stand by my people and fight for their interests,” Vučić told reporters on October 9.
Emphasizing that Serbia wishes for “the closest possible relations” with Turkey, Vučić said,
“I pray for the respect of the basic norms of international public law and the fundamental interests of Serbia and the Serbian people.”
He added:
“You can imagine what it would look like if we armed someone in territories problematic for Turkey, such as the southeast of Turkey or some other regions claimed by the Turks.”
According to Vučić, Turkey’s behavior is of great importance for the stability of the region.
He announced that he would speak with his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, about the arms shipment to Kosovo.
Vučić noted that he had also discussed this topic with Erdoğan last year,
“when I asked Turkey to stop arming Pristina.”
“I mentioned UN Resolution 1244 and other acts, and I requested that this not happen again,” he said.
Regarding Kosovo’s military purchases, Vučić stated:
“Is this a force that can defeat, scare, or threaten Serbia? No. But the intention to continue this is worrisome.”
He assessed that Kosovo is allocating significant funds to implement the plan for the transition of the Kosovo Security Force into the Kosovo Army.
Serbia, which does not recognize Kosovo’s independence, claims that such actions violate international law.
Vučić mentioned several countries from which Kosovo has purchased weapons and military equipment, saying that the procurement of complex combat systems is intensifying, with Turkey leading in supplying Kosovo with such systems.
“We are asking the United Nations to react and to respect the resolutions adopted by the UN. We do not want escalation; we will preserve peace and stability,” the Serbian leader said.
Vučić calls on Serbs to vote for the Serbian List
Speaking about the local elections to be held on October 12 in Kosovo, Vučić urged the Serbian community to vote for the Serbian List (Lista Srpska) — the main political party representing Serbs in Kosovo, which enjoys official support from Belgrade.
“We do not hide that we are calling on citizens to vote for the Serbian List, because it is a responsible list that represents the interests of the Serbian people, which does not submit to Kurti and does not take orders from any embassy,” he declared.
Vučić referred to what he described as ethnically motivated attacks against the Serbian community since Albin Kurti — currently Kosovo’s acting Prime Minister — came to power.
Speaking about the Serbian List, he said that this party
“has endured terror that no other party on the European continent has suffered in modern history, both from Albanian authorities and from others who have persecuted only them.”
The Serbian List had initiated the withdrawal of Serbs from Kosovo institutions in the north in November 2022, and had called for a boycott of the local elections in April 2023. Due to the boycott, Albanian mayors took control of the four northern municipalities.
In response to the election of Albanian mayors, local Serbs organized protests in 2023.
However, those mayors have remained in office until the end of their mandates, since the Serbian List again called for a boycott of the April 2024 vote to dismiss them.
Tensions in the north have escalated in recent years, especially after September 2023, when a group of armed Serbs attacked Kosovo Police, killing one officer.
Milan Radoičić, former vice-president of the Serbian List, claimed responsibility for the Banjska attack in Zvečan.
Kosovo is seeking his extradition and that of other individuals involved in what it considers a terrorist attack in the north.
Radoičić is also on the U.S. blacklist for alleged links to international organized crime.
Meanwhile, in the local elections scheduled for October 12, the Serbian List has candidates for mayor in all ten Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo — North Mitrovica, Zvečan, Leposavić, Zubin Potok, Gračanica, Štrpce, Novo Brdo, Klokot, Parteš, and Ranilug — and also fields a candidate for mayor in Obilić.
