Vucevic: Abolishing dinar payments Kurti's message to Serbs that they have no place in Kosovo

Minister of Defense Milos Vucevic stated that there was an erosion of the defense system happening, with the Republic of Serbia losing 60,000 individuals out of the reserve forces annually due to aging, while only gaining 1,500 new members. The question is which state could withstand such a loss, Vucevic said, emphasizing that the return of military service was not related to events in Kosovo and Metohija.

Commenting on the latest decisions by Pristina, Minister of Defense Milos Vucevic said that we must consider the entire package of measures implemented by Pristina.

"Impossible conditions are being created in Kosovo and Metohija, from incursions into institutions, kidnappings, and arrests, to the arrest of healthcare workers, hindering the fundamental provision of healthcare to the Serbian people in Kosovo," Vucevic said.

What can also be added to it, as he said, is the attack on economic security and the abolition of dinar payments, which is Kurti's message to Serbs that they have no place in Kosovo.

He emphasized that Belgrade was engaged in constant diplomatic activities, with a meeting held with the Quint late last night, and talks continuing today.

"There is nothing left but to fight for the survival of our people in Kosovo. Our red lines remain the same, and I would love for them never to be crossed. It is better to engage in dialogue and politically seek solutions than to involve another part of the state in solving the problem," Vucevic said.

He added that it was necessary to show wisdom and noted that Albanians were making a historical mistake by abusing the Serbian people.

"Their goal is to have no Serbs or to have them as a minority group that you have to use a magnifying glass to find. Now there is no clinic because apparently that clinic is now a 'terrorist cell', or the dinar is the biggest problem, as if there are no other problems," the Minister of Defense pointed out.

He said that in order to understand the situation, the entire package of measures from Pristina must be looked at.

When asked if Kurti would face consequences for his behavior, Vucevic said that we needed to see the international community's reaction and that the statements of US officials were encouraging.

"Let's hear what the president will say in the next day or two. My request is to show solidarity and a bit of wise silence while the state fights for some things," Vucevic said, emphasizing that we would hear concrete things from the president.

He emphasized that he was pessimistic that the international community would succeed in convincing Kurti.

"Serbia is committed to dialogue, Serbia wins in peace, Serbia develops in peace," Vucevic stated.

He mentioned the initiative to reinstate military service and said that citizens should be proud of their country for what it had done because what we had now was no longer the same army as it had been 10 years ago, but the question remained how to fill all the units.

As he said, after 13 years since the suspension of military service, after analysis, we presented arguments for why mandatory military service should be reinstated.

"The return of military service is not related to events in Kosovo. We have an erosion of the defense system of the Republic of Serbia, we lose 60,000 individuals annually who leave the reserve forces due to age, and we have only 1,500 new members. It is a question which state can withstand that," Vucevic noted.

The Minister of Defense did not want to speculate on new personnel solutions and said that more would be discussed after the constitution of the Assembly.