Will Serbia attack Kosovo? Vucic sends 'we will fight' message

12PUNTO FOREIGN NEWS

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti announced that Serbian soldiers have been deployed at the border. In his statement, Kurti noted that Serbian soldiers are 'waiting for the most suitable time for an invasion.' Meanwhile, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic posted a message on his social media account declaring, 'we will fight.'

Vucic also gave a speech on March 24, the anniversary of NATO's bombing of Serbia, where he called NATO an enemy of Serbia and argued that if Putin had been in power in 1999 (the year the NATO bombing took place), NATO would not have dared to attack the Serbs.

In recent weeks, Vucic held a long meeting with the President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik and the Patriarch of the Serbian Orthodox Church Porfirije. The statement issued after the meeting said, 'We have decided that the "Great Easter Assembly" to be held on May 5-6 will be observed in Belgrade and every corner of the Serbian territory.' It was also stated that the decision to establish a 'Greater Serbia' would be taken at the upcoming meeting. The term 'Greater Serbia' is used by Serbs to refer to territories in the former Yugoslavia.

VUCIC'S 'WE WILL FIGHT' MESSAGE

Posting on his Instagram account last night (March 27), Vucic stated the following:

"Difficult days are ahead for Serbia. At this point, it is not easy to talk about the news we have received in the last 48 hours. They are directly threatening our vital national interests, those of Serbia and the Serbs... In the coming days, I will explain the challenges ahead to the people of Serbia. It will be difficult, the most difficult so far. We will fight. Serbia will win."

WHAT IS THE BACKGROUND OF THE SERBIA-KOSOVO DISPUTE?

Serbia does not recognize the independence of Kosovo, which unilaterally declared its independence in 2008. The Serbian population in Kosovo also identifies as Serbian citizens and rejects the Kosovo government. Last year, 4 people, including three Kosovo Serbs, lost their lives in incidents that broke out after a monastery in Kosovo was 'occupied.' Kurti had claimed that Serbia incited the events.

There is also a NATO task force actively operating in Kosovo. NATO soldiers stationed in the region have not been involved in the border tensions between Serbia and Kosovo so far. However, Serbia has been calling for NATO forces to leave the region since 2008.

Due to the fact that NATO bombed Serbia in 1999 as a result of the war between Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbs frequently describe the US and NATO as 'enemies' and 'murderers.' Since the start of the war in Ukraine, the current government in Serbia has made statements emphasizing their support for Russia against NATO.

News Source: 12punto