Starovic: Kurti wants to use the war in Ukraine to ignite a new conflict between Serbia and NATO

The State Secretary of the Ministry of Defense of Serbia, Nemanja Starovic, said that there was no doubt that the goal that Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti was trying to achieve at any cost was to draw Serbia into a conflict with NATO, because there was no other explanation for the unilateral escalating moves he was making, and there had been, he pointed out, more than 40 in the last two years.

"His intention is to use the general war psychosis that arose after the start of the war in Ukraine, in order to ignite a new conflict, after which the logic of diplomacy would give way to the logic of war and nobody would care who actually started the conflict and with what goal, but would line up with their protégés. I'm not completely sure that his calculation is completely correct, but it is certain that Kurti is following exactly such a plan," Starovic said in an interview with Frankfurtske Vesti.

It is up to Serbia, he underlines, not to fall for any provocation and not make it easier for Kurti to realize his plans, but with a resolute defense of his "red lines".

He also says that it is clear to everyone in the international community where Serbia's red lines are, which were drawn exactly where any other country on the European continent would do the same.

"In fact, we are aware of the importance of peace and stability in the region. We are ready to invest a lot in their preservation. We are even ready to sacrifice a lot in order to preserve peace and stability. However, there is only one thing that we cannot sacrifice, and these are the lives of our people who live in the area of Kosovo and Metohija. I believe that this is a common-sense attitude that should be understandable and acceptable to everyone," Starovic explained.

When asked how he assessed the security situation in the region, he answered that the Balkans were still burdened by numerous problems, most of which were political, and the attempt to interpret them in the context of geopolitics and security challenges often represents deliberate manipulation in order to realize some political agenda with such alarmism.

"Nevertheless, as an objective and significant security threat, we must single out the actions of the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government in Pristina, which, with continuous unilateral measures, knowingly and with a clear intention endanger the safety of the Serbs and other non-Albanians living in the territory of our southern province," Starovic said.

In response to the statement that the Prime Minister of Croatia recently said that the country would have the strongest air force in this part of Europe by purchasing the Rafale, and asked if Serbia should be afraid of that, Starovic replied that the Serbian Armed Forces and competent agencies within the Ministry of Defense were closely following the development in defense systems of neighboring countries and that in this sense there was no danger of any strategic surprise.

According to the nature of things, he adds, Serbia also adjusts its development plans to events in the immediate and distant environment.

"With that in mind, I really believe that our citizens can be calm because the Serbian Army has adequate capacities to ensure peace and serves as a key factor in deterring anyone who might think of threatening our sovereignty and territorial integrity," Starovic pointed out.

The 11th International Armaments and Military Equipment Fair "Partner 2023" will be held in Belgrade from September 25 to 28 - the largest event of its kind in this part of Europe, and Starovic notes that this year as many as 150 domestic and foreign exhibitors will present their products.

He also indicates that the Serbian defense industry undoubtedly got back on its feet after the destruction it was exposed to during the NATO aggression, but also the complete neglect in the decade that followed, and today it represents the engine of Serbia's economic and technological development.

"The times in which we live today and the demand on the world market confirm the correctness of the development directions of our defense industry that were outlined ten years ago. The priority for companies from the group is certainly the supply and equipment of the Serbian Armed Forces and other defense forces, but it must be emphasized that the demand for our products in the foreign market is very large. Serbia is the only country in the wider region that has practically completed the entire technological chain in the production of weapons and ammunition. What we are currently working on, with large investments by the Government of Serbia, is to further increase the technological and production capacities of our defense industry, in order to satisfy all the needs of the Serbian Armed Forces, but also to meet the high demand on the international market," Starovic said.

When it comes to further investments, he states that in the next year, the Serbian defense industry will supply the Serbian Army with several hundred pieces of large-scale military equipment, such as modernized tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, rocket-artillery systems...

How much investments in the Serbian Armed Forces had increased, with the predominant reliance on domestic industry spoke the fact that in the last two years, the Ministry of Defense had contracted the delivery of funds from domestic companies at a value that exceeded the total value of all contracts concluded in the twenty-year period between 1995 and 2015, Starovic noted.

"I would like to emphasize, however, that the most important thing is always to invest in people, that is, in improving the material standard of members of the Serbian Armed Forces. Salaries in the Serbian Armed Forces grew twice as fast this year as in the rest of the public sector, and we will strive to maintain that trend, as "Serbian officers, non-commissioned officers, soldiers and civilians employed in the Ministry of Defense and the Armed Forces would receive satisfaction in the material sense, along with the patriotism that certainly adorns and motivates them," Starovic said.

When asked at what stage was the proposal for the return of mandatory military service, Starovic said that it was no secret that the majority of senior officers within the Serbian Armed Forces would like to see the suspension of military service abolished, which would have a favorable effect on the state of filling in the units, but would have other positive social effects, but also added that it was not a decision that was made hastily.

"Currently, in the competent organizational units of the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Army, detailed analyses and studies are being prepared that look at this problem from different angles. However, a possible decision to abolish the suspension of mandatory military service would have to be political by its nature, which implies an adequately structured public discussion, as well as the decisions of the government and parliament," Starovic added.