Vucic: The arming of Kosovo particularly concerns us; the rule of force prevails in the world

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said today that, following the action in Venezuela, it is clear that the international legal order and the UN Charter no longer function at all, adding that Serbia is particularly concerned by the arming of Pristina in contravention of the UN Charter and UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

Speaking after a session of the National Security Council, Vucic said that Resolution 1244, although not de jure, has been de facto suspended by major Western powers and certain regional players such as Turkey.

“They are rapidly arming Pristina, and a particular threat to territorial integrity and sovereignty is posed by the alliance between Pristina, Tirana and Zagreb, which, as we have seen, operates across a broad spectrum and includes joint development of complex combat systems—from 4x4 vehicles to ideas for more powerful weapons in the future,” he explained.

Vucic stressed that Serbia is closely monitoring these developments.

“We are watching this carefully—and not only watching, but preparing to defend ourselves against those who no longer even covertly, but openly, issue threats against our country. We believe that our strength will be a sufficient deterrent, and that the primary goal we have set for ourselves—preserving peace and stability in Serbia—will be achieved,” he underlined.

Vucic said that three topics were discussed at today’s session of the National Security Council.

“One concerns regional military and political security, with a review of the situation in Europe and the world; the second concerns Serbia’s energy security; and the third concerns the American action on Venezuelan territory. We adopted the appropriate conclusions. We are aware of the complexity and challenges our country faces in the region of Southeast Europe. I deliberately said the wider region, not just the Western Balkans. And of course, this complexity will become even more pronounced given the fact that the old order is collapsing, that international law no longer exists, and that the UN order exists only on paper,” he said.

He noted that small countries have little choice but to continue advocating for the international order and the UN Charter.

However, he added, after the action in Venezuela it is clear that the international legal order and the UN Charter do not function at all.

“The fact that someone will hold sessions of a national security council where different views are heard will not change the outcome—the rule of force dominates the world, the law of the stronger prevails. Whoever is stronger imposes their will. That is the only principle of contemporary politics that exists today. Other principles do not exist. It was enough to see how and in what manner certain representatives of European institutions reacted to events in Venezuela, where they have minor interests in Maduro’s removal, yet do not dare say anything because they fear what comes next—around Greenland, where European unity will once again collapse. You can see that principles are nowhere to be found,” Vucic said.

The session was convened following developments in Venezuela, when a U.S. military operation led to the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, triggering alarm across the international community.

In a year and a half, the capacities of the Serbian Armed Forces will be doubled

Vucic said the Council also discussed ways to staff special units of the Serbian Armed Forces, armament, additional investment in the defense industry, and replenishing reserves.

“There will be a significant strengthening of military capabilities over the next year and a half. I would say we will double our military capacities, which is not easy, because we are no longer a small and weak army as we were until 2015,” the President announced.

He pointed out that over the next year and a half, in addition to an approximately 30 percent increase in personnel, the firepower of the Serbian Armed Forces will increase by 100 percent, with part of the equipment produced domestically and part procured abroad.

“This is the only reliable way to protect the country in the future and the only real deterrent,” Vucic said, adding that the example of Venezuela shows that every country must rely solely on itself, because even if someone from the region were to “move against Serbia,” no one would help except ourselves.

“The United States will not attack us, nor will the great powers, and those in the region did not build this as a toy. They did act on others’ orders, supposedly to deter Serbia, but in a world this unstable, everything can change overnight, and defensive actions can turn into offensive ones. Our task is to be ready—and we will be ready and prepared,” Vucic said, adding that this is also the reason for attacks against him and against the Serbian Armed Forces.

He added that special military units—the 72nd Special Operations Brigade, the 63rd Parachute Brigade, and the ‘Cobras’—must be better staffed and will certainly have improved working and living conditions. The same applies to police special units—the Gendarmerie, the Special Anti-Terrorist Unit, the Police Brigade, and others.

“I say all this because I am confident that we will preserve peace. We will preserve peace with all our strength. We preserve peace not by attacking anyone, but by possessing strong deterrent power,” the President said.