During a ceremony at which 130 new officers of the Serbian Armed Forces graduated, President Aleksandar Vučić reiterated his claims over Kosovo and called for the expansion of the country’s military power. In his address, he stressed that Kosovo belongs to Serbia “under the Constitution and divine justice,” urging the newly graduated officers to defend what he described as “sacred.”
Të lidhura
None found
These statements have prompted strong reactions, as they are seen as an extension of Belgrade’s official stance toward Kosovo and come at a time when dialogue between the parties is intended to ease tensions and normalize regional relations.
Valdet Hoxha, a security affairs expert, believes that Aleksandar Vučić remains committed to a political course that undermines stability in the Balkans, combining his involvement in the negotiation process with provocative language toward Kosovo. Speaking to “Bota sot,” Hoxha stressed that the incidents in Banjska and at Ibër-Lepenc are evidence that such rhetoric must not be ignored.
According to Hoxha, Vučić rules in an autocratic manner, following in Slobodan Milošević’s footsteps, but with even more cunning tactics. He participates in the dialogue, signing various agreements and presenting himself as cooperative, while at the same time keeping a warmongering spirit alive through statements opposing Kosovo’s independence and fabricating stories about threats to the Serb community there. He added that the terrorist attacks in Banjska and at Ibër-Lepenc, carried out by groups financed, trained and organized in Serbia, confirm the seriousness of the threat, as established by investigations conducted by the Kosovo Special Prosecutor’s Office with the assistance of international partners.
Hoxha underscored a well-known truth: Serbia retains its territorial ambitions toward Kosovo. He argued that neither the political elite, nor the hegemonic and genocidal policies, nor the appetite for ethnic cleansing in Kosovo have changed in Belgrade. For this reason, he said, Kosovo must exercise extreme caution on two fronts. First, by increasing its defense capabilities through an army modeled on NATO standards and by developing a “Smart Defense” concept with partners such as Albania, Croatia and Bulgaria. Second, by strengthening its alliances and aligning its defense strategies not only with the United States as a strategic ally, but also with the United Kingdom and the European Union countries that were involved in Kosovo’s liberation and state-building.
Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Muhamet Racaj, an expert on security, defense and geopolitics, said that Vučić’s words are part of a political narrative intended to keep the Kosovo issue unresolved and use it to serve Serbia’s domestic and foreign interests. He warned that this conduct heightens tensions and harms both the dialogue and stability in the region.
Racaj assessed that the Serbian president’s statements during the officers’ graduation ceremony were not merely ordinary rhetoric, but part of an ongoing effort to keep the Kosovo issue alive as a political tool. According to him, this clashes with the spirit of dialogue, the concept of good-neighborly relations and the goal of lasting stability in the Western Balkans. When a president addresses a new generation of military personnel by describing Kosovo as Serbian land and assigning the armed forces a political mission, he sends a signal that openly challenges the sovereignty and integrity of the Republic of Kosovo. This fuels mistrust and calls regional security into question rather than promoting peace.
He also argued that dialogue requires acceptance of realities and respect for international agreements. According to him, Serbia cannot claim to be committed to normalizing relations while its leadership denies Kosovo’s statehood and uses language that runs counter to the European Union-mediated process, eroding the credibility of the entire mechanism.
Racaj further stressed that the modernization of the Serbian military takes on an intimidating dimension when accompanied by a political agenda against a neighboring state. This is even more concerning in a region burdened by a history of conflict, where the perception of a threat has a direct impact on overall security. The use of Kosovo as an issue in political discourse serves to mobilize nationalist sentiment and consolidate power by diverting public attention from domestic problems. Historically, exploiting national issues for domestic political interests does not bring stability, but instead generates needless tensions and obstructs the development of sustainable relations in the region.
In conclusion, Racaj said the region needs leadership that promotes peace and cooperation, not language that revives narratives from the past. Regional stability, he concluded, rests on mutual respect, recognition of state sovereignty and cooperation, and any statement that undermines these principles increases uncertainty and jeopardizes the entire region’s path toward Europe.
