Vucic: The Memorandum of Croatia, Albania, and Kosovo is a violation of the 1996 Arms Control Agreement

President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, stated tonight that one of the topics of his conversation with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte was the Memorandum of Cooperation between Croatia, Albania, and Kosovo in the field of defense, and that he pointed out to his interlocutor that this violates the 1996 Subregional Arms Control Agreement.

"We discussed the agreement between Croatia, Albania, and Kosovo, and it was a topic I raised. It concerns the violation of the so-called Subregional Arms Control Agreement from 1996. However, we saw from the reactions from Croatia and other parts of the region that they are not very interested in that," Vucic told journalists.

He is almost certain, he says, that NATO was not informed about the intention of the three parties to sign the agreement, and that the Alliance was not made aware of which agreements were violated by this.

"But, I don't think Zagreb, Pristina, or Tirana will worry about it," Vucic added.

He emphasized that it is Serbia's responsibility to point out to Rutte, to all of NATO, and to everyone else that this is indeed a violation of what was agreed upon, signed, and respected since 1996.

"It is our job to understand the reality and prepare for the future accordingly. We understood the political, military, and all other messages," Vucic said.

When asked by a Kosovo Online correspondent in Brussels about Croatian Minister Ivan Anusic’s statement that "Croatia can sign declarations with anyone it wants," Vucic responded:

"They can? OK, if they can. But it would be good if they told us that the agreements are no longer valid, that subregional arms control no longer exists, and that they have opened an arms race."

He repeats that this is a difficult situation for Serbia.

"But we understood their message, and we will preserve our country and deter any potential aggressor, even one as powerful as that," Vucic added.

The Agreement on Subregional Arms Control is an agreement on the limitation of armaments signed on June 14, 1996, in Florence. In accordance with the Dayton Agreement, it relies on the provisions of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe and limits the number of tanks, armored combat vehicles, artillery, combat aircraft, and attack helicopters that the parties to the agreement can possess.

A Good Day for Serbia in Brussels

Vucic also stated that he discussed all important issues with Rutte, including bilateral cooperation, the situation in Kosovo, the relationship between the Serbian Army and KFOR, and the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

"We talked about all the important burning issues, with the primary goal of preserving peace and stability in the region. This is of crucial importance to us. The conversation lasted a long time, about everything, including the geopolitical situation. I believe it was beneficial for Serbia, and I hope it wasn't useless for Rutte either. It was a successful day for Serbia in Brussels," said President Vucic.

He added that he and Rutte tried to find common ground on difficult issues.

"We will continue the conversations, and our commitment is to remain in close contact and constant communication regarding the preservation of stability and peace, a conflict-free space in the Western Balkans. This is of immense interest to us, but also to NATO, considering the geopolitical situation," Vucic concluded.