Serbian intelligence agencies possess information indicating that Turkey has provided drones, anti-armour systems, mortars, and various other weapons to Pristina. This action is deemed a violation of Resolution 1244.
State Secretary Nemanja Starović said that all available communication channels are being used to convey to Turkey the unacceptability and concerns associated with this matter.
In response to Ankara’s claim that the weapons were not a gift but rather a sale, Starović dismissed this possibility, citing Turkey’s lack of financial resources.
State Secretary Nemanja Starović from the Ministry of Defence further claimed that Turkey is actively engaged in arming, training, and equipping the self-proclaimed Kosovo Security Forces. He stressed that this activity contradicts Resolution 1244 of the United Nations Security Council, as well as the agreements established in Brussels and other pertinent agreements.
He said: “Of course, we followed all these processes intensively, our agencies that are responsible for this have been reporting to the state leadership in great detail for months about everything that is happening, and of course, in accordance with that, using diplomatic channels, we have warned the representatives of Turkey that this.
“What is happening is absolutely unacceptable. They are of course talking about some kind of commercial arrangements, about sales.”
He added, however, that it is about armaments that are not allowed in Kosovo and Metohija and that they cannot possess the so-called Kosovo Security Forces.
He continued: “On the other hand, based on everything we know, taking into account the budget allocated for the so-called Kosovo security forces, they have no money for such a thing and there can be no question of commercial arrangements and it is quite certain that it is Turkish donations.”
Starović also claimed that drones were publicly presented by Aljbin Kurti, and that now everyone is aware of that fact.
He said: “Unfortunately, it’s not just about Bayraktar drones, it’s also about very serious, sophisticated OMTAS anti-armour systems, it’s about mortars, grenade launchers and everything. So, it raises the level of risk and threats, first of all towards the Serbian population living in Kosovo and Metohija, but also towards the Republic of Serbia as a whole.”
This, he noted, is not a reason for panic, but it is a violation of international law for which, he pointed out, Belgrade has adequate answers.
Kosovo and Serbia have a complex history intertwined with political, ethnic, and territorial disputes.
Kosovo, located in the Balkans, was a region within the former Yugoslavia. In 1989, Serbian leader Slobodan Milošević revoked Kosovo’s autonomous status, triggering tensions between the ethnic Albanian majority in Kosovo and the Serbian government. In response, the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), an Albanian paramilitary group, emerged and began seeking independence from Serbia.
The conflict escalated in the late 1990s, leading to a NATO intervention in 1999 to protect the civilian population and halt the humanitarian crisis. The intervention resulted in the withdrawal of Serbian forces from Kosovo and the establishment of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), which aimed to facilitate the political and social stability of the region.
In 2008, Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia, a move that Serbia strongly opposed. The Declaration of Independence was recognised by a significant number of countries, including the United States and several European Union member states. However, Serbia, along with some other countries, including Russia and China, does not recognise Kosovo as an independent state.
Efforts to normalise relations between Kosovo and Serbia have been ongoing, with the European Union facilitating negotiations between the two parties. The negotiations aim to address issues such as governance, security, and the status of ethnic Serb communities in Kosovo. The agreements reached so far include the Brussels Agreement in 2013 and the Washington Agreement in 2020, which focus on practical matters related to the normalisation of relations.
Despite these agreements, tensions and disputes between Kosovo and Serbia continue to persist, particularly regarding the status of Kosovo and the rights of ethnic Serbs living in Kosovo. The involvement of other countries, such as Turkey, in the region’s affairs adds another layer of complexity to the situation.
