Barac: By announcing the opening of ammunition factory, Kurti is sending a message to Serbs that they have no place in Kosovo

Pristina lacks the expertise, capacity, and resources to develop a serious defense or military industry without the support of its partners, Srdjan Barac from the Center for Social Stability says, commenting on Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s announcements about initiating procedures to open an ammunition production factory. According to Barac, Pristina is using this issue to send a clear message to Serbs, aiming to drive them from their ancestral homes.
Barac believes that opening such a factory would not represent a positive step in the context of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, nor in Serbia's relations with the countries supporting Kosovo.
“The provisional institutions in Pristina certainly lack the expertise, capacity, and resources to develop a serious defense industry. However, we must not underestimate their partners, who do have these capacities and can easily enable them. Would this be a positive step toward dialogue between Serbia and the provisional institutions in Pristina? Would it be a positive step for Serbia in terms of its relations with the states arming Kosovo? Certainly not. This is something that concerns us, especially in light of actions on the ground, which are clearly, unequivocally, and directly aimed at driving Serbs out, particularly from the northern region, where they have not previously exercised substantial or effective control and where Serbs are the majority,” Barac said.
He adds that this goal has become increasingly apparent, even in the international arena – that Albin Kurti is attempting to ethnically cleanse Kosovo, leaving no representatives of the Serbian people there.
Barac emphasizes that without its partners, Pristina has no capacity to develop a defense industry. Moreover, it currently has no legal grounds to do so, as such actions violate international regulations.
The essence of Pristina’s behavior, Barac reiterates, is to send a hostile message to Serbs – that they are not allowed to live in this territory and should abandon any attempts to remain and survive on their ancestral lands.
Barac also warns that the potential opening of such a factory would impact security and cooperation in the region.
“The establishment of a factory for defense or military production would undoubtedly be another contentious decision by Pristina's institutions and their Western partners. It would serve as yet another obstacle to regional reconciliation and cooperation. Still, we wouldn’t be surprised if they proceed down this path,” Barac concluded.
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