Balkan affairs analyst Ivana Stradner recently warned that the Serbian government is preparing for a new escalation in the Balkans.
She stated that the threat of a possible escalation in northern Kosovo “is significant and real.”
“Russia is seeking vulnerable points in the West, and the most vulnerable point in Europe right now is the Balkans, specifically Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo,” she declared.
This sentiment was echoed by Sonja Biserko, Chairwoman of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia.
In an interview with the newspaper “Bota sot,” Biserko stated that new attempts by Serbia to partition Kosovo could be expected.
“This is certainly being discussed extensively, starting with Belgrade’s activities in neighboring countries, Montenegro, Bosnia, and Kosovo. The declaration for the Pan-Serbian Assembly has alarmed the entire region, and the EU, the U.S., and the High Representative in Bosnia have reacted very harshly. So, the fact is that the region is fragile and that there is objectively the possibility of conflict. Regarding Kosovo, it is realistic to expect new attempts at partition, like the one in Banjska,” Biserko said.
Recently, Kosovo’s Prime Minister Kurti and American General Wesley Clark also warned that Aleksandar Vučić could enter Kosovo just as Vladimir Putin did in Ukraine.
According to Biserko, this is a possibility.
“This is possible, but it is also a fact that NATO has increased its presence in the region, has increased the number of EUFOR and KFOR troops, and has opened new bases in Romania and Albania. At the NATO summit in Washington, Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece signed an agreement allowing the rapid cross-border movement of troops and weapons on NATO’s eastern flank,” Sonja Biserko further stated.
She added that “on one hand, the West is trying to pull Serbia into the Western camp, while on the other hand, it is monitoring Serbia and its behavior towards its neighbors.”
Former NATO General Wesley Clark said in an interview with CNN that if there is a problem in Ukraine, a problem could also arise in the Balkans.
Clark stated that Serbian President Vučić, despite playing both sides—the West and Russia—ultimately aims to do what Russian President Vladimir Putin is doing in Ukraine.
“Russia’s influence is felt in the Balkans; Serbia is Russia’s hand in the Balkans and serves Russia’s interests. Vučić is smart, he wants to appear as though he’s playing both sides, but when the time comes, he will do what Putin wants him to do,” he said.
Meanwhile, according to Kurti, Serbia and Russia are imitating each other.
