Vucevic: If President Vucic gives the order, the army is ready to protect the Serbs in Kosovo

Defense Minister Milos Vucevic said on the occasion of the meeting between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti in Brussels that he was not an optimist, but that negotiations, no matter how long and exhausting they might be, were a better solution than the conflict, Pink reports.

"I am not an optimist. We waited for the last day before Pristina starts fining for license plates. What does it mean if Pristina's decision is postponed? We will think that we are a little relieved, but if we, as Serbia, agreed to postpone it for ten months, and to implement it after 10 months, there is no success. What should be done is to suspend Pristina's decision for 10 months, and in the meantime find a solution that is acceptable to both sides. The situation is difficult for us", assessed the minister and added that no one wanted escalation on the field, but that, as he says, everything can be expected from a man like Albin Kurti.

Vucevic points out that the security situation is worrying.

"If someone patted him on the shoulder he would be able to do anything. The security situation is worrisome. Nothing is happening that violates the security of the Serbs, but the atmosphere is so tense and inflammable that if someone lit a match, the air would burn. The only thing they want to talk about is the complete normalization of relations, which practically means recognition," he said.

Vucevic added that President Vucic was in a particularly unenviable situation.

"I wouldn't be in Aleksandar Vucic's shoes, because many are rooting for him to stumble on the issue of Kosovo in one way or another. Either they say he is a traitor, or they say he led us into conflicts, quarrels or, God forbid, wars,” Vucevic stated.

The minister pointed out that the army would act in accordance with the orders of President Vucic.

"If the president of Serbia orders, the army will take all measures to protect the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. I don't know what else to tell you unless you don't want a new Flash and Storm to happen. Or do you think that we in Novi Sad and Belgrade should withdraw to cafes and comfortably watch the world football championship? The heroism of those sitting in cafes and saying that we should go to war is equal in proportion to the number of glasses they have drunk, they would have sobered up already at Kursumlija and said to go in reverse". Vucevic says.

The Minister of Defense believes that negotiations, however long and exhausting they may be, are a better solution than conflict.

"I think it is better to talk for 1,000 days and hours and watch the grim faces of the negotiators than to spend 1 hour in the trenches. Our room for maneuver is very narrow, but it would be good if Serbia was not asked to show all the cards in advance and not to show what we would do under every circumstance. Let's not say what the Serbian army is ready for and what kind of scenario we have for plans A, B, C, etc. All options are being considered, but we are working to continue the conversation. I don't think anyone wants a conflict," Vucevic claims.

He added that it was being forgotten that it was not just the license plates.

"They built four military bases in the north for special military units that were built contrary to the Brussels agreement and positioned in strategic places. What is even more worrying is that the transformation of the Kosovo Security Forces into the Kosovo Armed Forces is underway. They are building an army in Kosovo. When you ask the NATO pact if they support it, they say we don't, but some members of the NATO pact participate in it through bilateral cooperation. For me, waiting for Vucic to solve the Kosovo issue is the perfect example of cowardice, because no ruler in Serbian history has managed to solve it." Vucevic said.

Regarding the consideration of the reintroduction of mandatory military service, Vucevic stated that the army was currently working on a thorough analysis on which basis a decision would be made whether and when military service would be reinstated.

"The Serbian Army is conducting a thorough analysis that should determine whether there is political will for such a decision. At the moment we are not focused on that because the problem of Kosovo and Metohija is a priority. If military training were to return, it would certainly last less than before," Vucevic said.