Serbia Angered By Defence Pact Linking Croatia, Albania And Kosovo

A defence agreement signed between Croatia, Albania and Kosovo has sparked a diplomatic spat with neighbour Serbia, which still sees Kosovo as part of its territory and does not recognise its independence.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic accused Croatia and Albania of starting an “arms race” in the region by signing the concord with what he called the “provisional institutions” in Kosovo, meaning the country’s government.

“It is a difficult situation for us but we have understood their message. And we will protect our country, deter them, and always successfully defend it from any potential aggressor, even this powerful one,” Vucic said on Wednesday.

But Croatia said it did not need Serbia’s permission to sign anything. Defence Minister Ivan Anusic said the time when Zagreb sought Belgrade’s approval for its actions was long gone and would never return.

“We have been an independent state for 35 years and have endured five years of aggression and policies that promoted such a narrative,” Anusic said, referencing Croatia’s 1990s independence war against the Serbian-led Yugoslav army.

“Cooperation with Albania and Kosovo focuses on knowledge exchange, collaboration between military industries and support for the Euro-Atlantic aspirations of Albania and Kosovo,” Anusic explained on X.

The row erupted after Croatia, Albania and Kosovo signed the Declaration on Strengthening Defence Cooperation on Tuesday.

The declaration, which other countries may also join, calls for joint responses to security challenges, hybrid threats and other risks that could threaten regional stability, the Croatian Defence Ministry stated following the agreement’s signing.

But Serbia’s Defence Minister Bratislav Gasic called it a “provocative initiative” by the neighbouring countries.

The signing of the memorandum “without consultation with Belgrade represents confirmation of the correctness of the strategic investment in the strengthening and modernisation of the Serbian Armed Forces,” Gasic said.

“It is a provocative initiative of neighbouring states that is in contradiction with efforts to strengthen regional security,” he added.

Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Donika Gervalla-Schwarz responded by writing on X on Wednesday that she “strongly condemns Serbia’s threatening statement” and accused Belgrade of seeking to continue “its hegemonic policies in the region.

Gervalla-Schwarz added “Without recognising Kosova, Serbia cannot be a factor of stability.”

Kosovo’s Foreign Ministry also urged Serbia to implement existing agreements. The two countries reached a normalisation of relations deal, facilitated by the EU, in February 2023.

The agreement said they were to “develop normal, good-neighbourly relations with each other on the basis of equal rights” and be guided by mutual “respect for their independence, autonomy, and territorial integrity, the right of self-determination, the protection of human rights, and non-discrimination”.

It remains mostly unimplemented so far.