Vucevic: We work every day to strengthen our Army, it is the guarantor of peace in Kosovo

Serbian Minister of Defense Milos Vucevic stated that the state worked every day to strengthen the Army because it was the strongest guarantor of peace due to the challenging security situation in Kosovo.

"The current security situation in Kosovo is very challenging. Due to the survival of our people in Kosovo and Metohija, we are taking certain defense measures and strengthening the Serbian Army. We work every day to make our Army stronger because it is the strongest guarantor of peace for our country and the strongest deterrent to those who are not well-intentioned," Vucevic said on RTS's Dnevnik.

He added that Serbia owed its current security to a strong Army that had been built from 2012 until today.

"If we didn't have the army we have today, believe me, Kurti and those who cover and support him would have taken much harder and worse actions against us and our people in Kosovo and Metohija," he emphasized.

When asked if there is a risk of violence, he stressed that the risk always existed but that they "try to keep it to a level that we can control."

Vucevic also commented on Serbia's performance at the UN Security Council meeting, which, in his opinion, was a significant diplomatic success.

"The President of the Republic presented chronologically everything that is happening in Kosovo and Metohija and talked about everything that threatens the survival of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. On the other hand, we heard a man who only has his name and surname, Albin Kurti - he has no designation of any territory, or entity, let alone a state. He talked, I must say, nonsense, without any counterargument. This is Serbia's political and diplomatic success. We should not expect anything revolutionary in terms of changing the policies of countries toward Kosovo, but it is very important that the global public and Serbia persistently and strongly repeat everything related to Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. That battle will continue and will not stop overnight. Nothing can be solved overnight. We must be persistent, and have faith, wisdom, and knowledge of how to protect our state interests. We must not be discouraged; it is complicated and complex. Our state interest is to preserve peace and our people in Kosovo and Metohija with political, diplomatic, and all the skills we can apply," the minister stated.

He concluded that so far, the US had been the most open in its criticisms of Pristina, while the other Quint countries had been somewhat more fair.

"Let's see what happens in that regard. I would say that no one has any doubt anymore who is the cause of chaos and everything that happens in Kosovo and Metohija, and that is the little tyrant Albin Kurti," Vucevic noted.