26.05.2023.
Minister Vučević: Serbian Armed Forces on full alert
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Miloš Vučević has said that after dramatic scenes that occurred in the north of Kosovo and Metohija today and a dramatically deteriorating security situation and a direct continuation of terror by Priština institutions against the Serbian community in Kosovo and Metohija, primarily against the Serbs living in the north of Kosovo and Metohija, President of the Republic and Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces Aleksandar Vučić has issued an order to place the Serbian Armed Forces on full alert.
- This means that shortly before 2 p.m., the General Staff, i.e. the Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff, issued further orders for the units of the Serbian Armed Forces to take up positions defined in accordance with our defence plans, strategic plans, with the aim of protecting the sovereignty of the Republic of Serbia and all its citizens and allowing the Serbian Armed Forces to carry out any task needed to achieve that goal - said Minister Vučević.The Serbian Armed Forces troops, said the Minister of Defence, are being deployed towards the administrative line with Kosovo-Metohija and taking up positions laid out in military documents as the positions of the Serbian Armed Forces in such situations.
Speaking about the current security situation, Minister Vučević said that, unfortunately, the thing that the President of the Republic has been saying and warning about over the past several days and weeks has come true - that Kurti will not stop and will continue undertaking activities whose aim is to further endanger the Serbian community.
- Dozens of incidents and attacks on Serbs have taken place this year alone, from serious injuries, arrests, attempted murders, to these acts of violence and hooliganism. The fact that some people wear a uniform does not mean that they do not carry out acts of terror or act like ḫooligans instead of acting like the police. I can confirm once again that there is an ongoing attempt to occupy all municipalities in the north of Kosovo and Metohija by absolutely illegitimate and illegal so-called municipal leaderships, under the auspices of the so-called Kosovo Police, i.e. Priština’s special police units. I have to say what my impression is – a lukewarm response from EULEX and a rather inefficient response from KFOR - said Minister Vučević.
The Serbian Armed Forces are in contact with KFOR, Minister Vučević said, and we expect KFOR to be much more involved on the ground, to guarantee security, freedom, and human rights to all citizens living in the territory of the province, regardless of whether they are Serbs, Albanians or any other nationality, and to make sure that the provisions defined in the Kumanovo Agreement, the Military Agreement and Resolution 1244 are actually implemented in such situations.
- Now is the moment for EULEX, the international community, and KFOR in particular, to demonstrate their full authority and not allow further persecution of Serbs. We are not interested in explanations such as “we have warned both sides, we are sorry about some incident or other”, we do not have time to listen to those meaningless, simple phrases and announcements, we want to see what they are going to do on the ground to prevent further escalation - stressed Minister Vučević.
According to him, Serbia is fully committed to continuing the dialogue and does not want an escalation of the conflict.
- We do not want any wars and we are not playing war games, but Kurti is leading us towards red lines for Serbia, and everyone in the international community must be aware of that. We will not allow Operation Storm or Flash to ever happen again, there will not be another March 17, 2004, you will not gather the remaining Serbs, put them on tractors and send them off to central Serbia. If that is your goal and your plan, and in my opinion it is, you must know that Serbia will find an adequate response, primarily political, but I do not exclude other responses that would prove adequate against the threats to our country and our citizens, making every effort, of course, to preserve peace and stability, because it is our state and national interest - Minister Vučević said.
According to Minister Vučević, what we desperately need in the coming days and the period ahead, is national unity.
- This does not mean that we do not have the right to different political opinions, to multipartyism, to political pluralism, but it must not harm or threaten the country’s strategic position in terms of vital national interests. We have no right to behave as a politically irresponsible and frivolous nation. You know, nations that get wrapped up in their own misery, but do not see where their main problems lie, do not prosper. You can find many such examples in history. Unfortunately, something like that has happened to us, too. I hope we will be mature and solidary enough, and above all unified, wise, rational, not ashamed of our emotions, brave and courageous enough to protect our country and our citizens, preserving peace, but also preserving freedom and human rights of Kosovo-Metoḫija Serbs, protecting the whole of Serbia - Minister Vučević said.
