Barac: It is important for Belgrade and Ankara to strengthen military cooperation because Turkey is arming Kosovo

It is of great importance that Belgrade and Ankara, in addition to successful economic cooperation, work on strengthening military and security ties, given that Turkey is arming Kosovo with offensive weapons, Srdjan Barac, associate of the Center for Social Stability, points out, emphasizing that Serbia cannot view the supply of "Bayraktars" to Pristina favorably.

Commenting on the visit of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Belgrade, Barac notes that Turkey is one of the most significant "players" in the region.

"Erdogan's visit to Serbia is of great importance to Serbia because Turkey is one of the most important players in the region. The relations between Serbia and Turkey are extremely complicated, both from a historical perspective and in the current context," Barac told Kosovo Online.

Barac reminds that during his previous visit to Serbia, Erdogan stated, "Kosovo is Turkey, Turkey is Kosovo," which, as he noted, was a basis for creating tensions in the region.

However, he notices that since then, Serbian-Turkish relations have been on an upward trajectory, especially considering economic and trade ties.

"Trade exchange is increasing every year, and that is something that strengthens relations. Where there is trade and economic exchange, and money is involved, political decisions are made more carefully and discreetly," Barac assessed.

Speaking about Erdogan's visit to Albania, Barac emphasizes that the visit to both Tirana and Belgrade must be viewed in a regional context, considering it a positive step that the Turkish president did not visit the "three points of contention."

"Since he visited both Albania and Serbia, we must see this within the regional context because we have these three points of contention: Kosovo, Sandzak, or the Raska region, and the issue of political Sarajevo. Given that these three centers were not visited, we can say that this visit is better than if all these regions had been visited," Barac stated.

Regarding the development of military cooperation between Serbia and Turkey, which has not existed until now, Barac emphasizes that this is of great importance for Belgrade, considering the Kosovo-Turkey cooperation in the field of defense.

"Military cooperation with Turkey is good, especially if we consider that, in addition to Erdogan's 2013 statement, another contentious point is the arming of so-called Kosovo, particularly with Bayraktar drones. For what reason? If they were investing in building an economic system in the area of Kosovo and Metohija, we might view it favorably, not as hostile. But arming Kosovo with offensive weapons cannot be seen as friendly. That is why it is important for us to have as close relations with them as possible, even in the military and security sectors," Barac concluded.