[ad_1]
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic issued a harsh statement on Tuesday about unspecified threats against his country in a social media post, warning of the possibility of geopolitical conflict.
“Difficult days ahead for Serbia,” he said in a Facebook post. “At the moment it is not easy to say what news we have received in the last 48 hours. [but] They directly threaten the vital national interests of Serbia and both countries. [Republika] Srpska,” he added, referring to the ethnically Serb Republika Srpska.
He vaguely hinted that Serbia would fight and win in the difficult challenges ahead.
“In the coming days, I will introduce the Serbian people to all the challenges that lie ahead. It will be difficult,” he said. “We will fight. Serbia will win.”
Vučić did not clarify his warning, but the cryptic reference comes months after Serb gunmen attacked a village in northern Kosovo, killing four people. The attack, which took place last September, coincided with what the White House at the time described as an “unprecedented” buildup of Serb forces along the border with Kosovo.
The incident caused concern in Belgrade.—Countries that do not recognize Kosovo are interested in escalating the conflict with the Balkan country, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008.
Kosovo’s ambassador to the United States previously told The Daily Beast that Serbia is trying to incite violence and destabilize the region, and that Russia is fanning the flames behind the scenes to prevent integration between the Balkans and the West. He expressed his concerns.
Serbia announced last year that it would withdraw troops from its borders. Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti In recent days, he shared a video on social media that purported to show Serbian troops “a few meters away” from the Kosovo border.
“We are closely monitoring the situation for any attempted intrusion. [our] It’s territory,” Kurti said.
U.S. government officials last week warned Serbia against any military action.
“President Vucic is well aware that any use of force against Kosovo is unacceptable and would be seen as endangering NATO forces,” Jim O’Brien, assistant secretary for Europe and Eurasia, told reporters at a briefing. Told.
Vučić’s vague warning to Serbs came after the United Nations High Representative announced changes to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s electoral process earlier this week. The announcement was slammed as inappropriate by Milorad Dodik, the leader of Republika Srpska, which calls itself Bosnia’s Serb Republic.
According to reports, Dodik has previously advocated “unification” with Serbia as part of efforts to unite ethnic Serbs, adding: “If we pursue that, we have to take steps and… We have also stated what measures we will take.”
Mr Dodik met with Mr Vucic on Wednesday, ostensibly to discuss Easter celebrations. Vučić said he would “prepare many important and useful decisions for the people” in the run up to Orthodox Easter.
However, it is unclear what impact Vucic’s comments will have on Bosnia and Herzegovina. “Mr. Vucic considers Mr. Dodik responsible,” a U.S. official told The Daily Beast.
In a report released just last month, U.S. intelligence agencies assessed that Dodik’s threat to withdraw could lead to “violent conflict.”
[ad_2]
Source link
