"Direct threat to Serbia"

"Direct threat to Serbia"

Defense Minister Miloš Vučević tells RTS that the situation in the north of Kosovo and Metohija is tense and dramatic, and that the latest statements are even more worrying.

"Serbia must remain calm, we must move in the direction of political dialogue, but there are red lines - no Storm, no Flash, no March 2004", says Vucevic.

Speaking about how the night passed at the barricades in the north of Kosovo and Metohija, he stated that there were no additional events that would lead to escalation, if at all it could become more complicated.

"The situation is so tense and dramatic in the north of Kosovo and Metohija. What is positive is that there were no physical contacts between the two sides and no attacks on the Serbian community, which, unfortunately, cannot be excluded it won't happen in the coming hours or days, especially considering the statements we heard yesterday from Albin Kurti, and unfortunately also from some high-ranking diplomatic representatives, which further worries and complicates this dramatic situation," adds Vučević.

He points out that Serbs have been on the roads and streets for 12 days under very unfavorable weather conditions. "Some people are still talking about the consequences of the roadblocks, they are not dealing with the causes - what is it and what kind of torment forced the Serbs in the north of Kosovo to take to the roads and to fight for rights and freedoms in a peaceful and democratic way", emphasizes Vučević.

Commenting on the statements of Albin Kurti that the removal of the barricades does not exclude the victims, Vucevic says that this is a threat. "It presents, without any doubt, a general threat to Serbs, and I would add that it is also a threat to Serbia. It is a threat to all of us, above all to our people who live in Kosovo and Metohija and a clear message that Albin Kurti does not even care about human victims. He said that he was not interested in the price in human lives," says Vučević.

He points out that such statements are dangerous, because they show that "Kurti is not giving up on carrying out terror against the Serbs and his ultimate goal, which is for the Serbs to be eradicated".

"We should not mystify what the ultimate goal of Albin Kurti's government is, to ethnically cleanse Kosovo, primarily the north," the minister added.

He said that we must not forget that there is large number of Serbs living south of the Ibar.

"We must not forget those people. It is a very complicated situation, and when you have the ambassador of the strongest European country, such as Germany, who says that everything must be removed by December 25, and previously Kurti says it will be removed regardless of the victims - then that is a scenario that leads us not to peaceful solution, but to complete chaos," says Vučević.

When asked what such messages mean for our security services and our army, Vucevic points out that it means no relaxation. "This means that Serbia must continue everything that is up to us in the context of diplomatic contacts and talks, and that no matter how much all that is happening to us is an emotional charge, we must prevail and be guided by rational reasons, to rationally think about not letting our emotions overwhelm us in the sense that we make a mistake," says Vučević.

Answering the question of where our army and police are at the moment and how far they are from administrative checkpoints, Vucevic says that the army takes care of them in all aspects of security.

"Our army is well deployed in accordance with strategic assessments and operational-tactical tasks, so that our army takes care of all aspects of the security of our country," says Vucevic.

"Serbia must be calm, we must go in the direction of political dialogue, but there are red lines - no Storm, no Flash, no March 2004," Vučević concludes.