Kurti: Serbia and Russia cause problems for their neighbors because they want expansion

2024-07-09 21:13:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Kurti: Serbia and Russia cause problems for their neighbors because they want

Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti

The Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said that Serbia is aggressive towards Kosovo, not only by not recognizing it as an independent state, but because it is "engaged" in hybrid warfare and is conducting military training in the bases it has near the border with Kosovo.

During an interview for CNN, Kurti said that Kosovo asks the West to put pressure on Serbia to remove those bases, as he emphasized that Belgrade has similarities with Russia, since according to him, both cause trouble to their neighbors because they "want expansion". .

"In political terms, Serbia is very similar to the Russian Federation. They do not know their de facto and de jure neighbors. They cause problems for their neighbors because they want to expand. On the other hand, I must say that Russia probably imitates the Serbia of Milosevic's regime. Now we can see how despotic President Vladimir Putin wants to turn Ukraine into a state, similar to the Bosnian scenario, where the interior would be divided territorially, in order to make it dysfunctional and create opportunities for further conquest of the territory ", Kurti said.

The Kosovar Prime Minister said that in historical, cultural and operational terms, the Kremlin and Belgrade have imitated each other and this is worrying for Kosovo.

"Therefore, we are concerned because it is in the Kremlin's interest to spread other conflicts in Europe through its collaborators. And Serbia in the Balkans is a hegemonic state and at the same time a collaborator of Russia", said Kurti.

Even retired US general Wesley Clark accused Serbia of serving the interests of Russia, which launched a large-scale invasion of neighboring Ukraine more than two years ago.

Clark - who led the NATO air campaign against Serbian military targets in 1999 that led to the liberation of Kosovo - said Serbia wants to take northern Kosovo and split Bosnia and Herzegovina to create a "Greater Serbia". .

"Russia's hand is felt in the Balkans. Serbia is Russia's arm in the Balkans. Serbia serves the interests of Russia. President [Serbian, Aleksandar] Vucic is wise. He tends to look like he's playing a two-way game, but when the moment comes, he'll do what Putin asks. And what he wants from Putin, of course, is the authority to use his troops in Kosovo, at least to take half of the northern part of Kosovo and maybe more. At the same time, they want to divide Bosnia, take Republika Srpska and make it 'Greater Serbia'. All this has to do with ethnic cleansing in the Balkans," said Clark.

Speaking about NATO's intervention in Kosovo, he said it was decisive, criticizing the alliance for not doing enough to help Ukraine, which is facing an invasion by Russia.

"NATO must do more. Look at the example of Kosovo today, 25 years of democracy, a free state. It should be the same for Ukraine, we can save Ukraine if we stand up and do it [intervene]. That's our job," Clark said.

He added that if NATO "falters" in Ukraine, then the problems from there will be transferred to the Western Balkans.

Even earlier, officials in Kosovo have accused Serbia of helping Russia open a new front against the West.

Serbia, which maintains good relations with Russia, has so far refused to impose sanctions on Moscow over the war in Ukraine. However, Belgrade has voted for several resolutions in the United Nations that have condemned the Russian aggression against Ukraine./ Rel