Vucic: Military exercises in Zagreb and Tirana directed against Serbia; We will strengthen defense capabilities and preserve peace

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, commented on the current global crisis triggered by the attack on Iran, as well as on the announced military exercises involving Kosovo, Croatia, and Albania, stating that Serbia will safeguard peace while strengthening its defense capacities.

Vucic published a video on his Instagram account “avucic,” in which he also referred to announcements in Croatian media regarding military exercises in Zagreb and Tirana.

“We must respond to and understand the messages of the powerful, to preserve our freedom, to protect our autonomy and independence, peace, our children, our mothers so that they do not worry whether their children will end up in wars, but at the same time to strengthen our defense potential. I looked at some Croatian media this morning; they say: ‘Vucic will go crazy,’ because they are going to hold two military exercises in Zagreb and one in Tirana — Zagreb, Pristina, and Tirana... Now it is portrayed as if that were directed against me personally, or I don’t know what.... No, it is directed against Serbia. There is no doubt about that,” Vucic said.

He then stated that Serbia’s defense system is becoming increasingly stronger.

“I will not go crazy at all, which you might perhaps be hoping for. I am completely rational, absolutely calm and composed, because I am always like that when the situation is difficult. We have a multi-layered defense, or as the Westerners call it, ‘multilayered’ defense. We are a small country; we cannot stand against NATO, we cannot stand against the great powers, but we will be strong enough that any strike — even the mere thought of a strike against Serbia — would cost anyone, including the most powerful in the world, dearly. However, I will never place the country in a position where the most powerful in the world would strike our Serbia,” Vucic concluded.