Balkans | Bayraktar tension between Türkiye and Serbia

Kosovo’s receipt of Bayraktar TB2s purchased from Turkey was met with displeasure from Serbia.

Nemanja Starović, Undersecretary of the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, announced that Turkey has raised the danger level in the region by arming the Armed Forces of Kosovo.

Recalling that they had warned Turkey through diplomatic channels, Starovich said, “We warned the Turkish authorities that what they did was unacceptable, but they said the commercial sale was questionable.” He said.

On the other hand, NATO has been warned in a statement that NATO’s Kosovo Peacekeeping Force (KFOR) is responsible for Kosovo’s airspace.

The statement stated that Kafour Commander is primarily responsible for all types of unmanned aerial vehicles, including the Bayraktar TB2.

And Serbian Defense Minister Milos Vucevic said in a statement on the matter that the Ministry of Defense sent a protest note to the Belgrade Turkish embassy.

Vucevic stated that the new commander of the KFOR will be Turkish starting in the fall and said, “Turkey is a big and powerful country with economic and political influence in the Western Balkans, and Serbia does not want a clash with such a country.” He said.

Radio and Television Serbia (RTS) warned that the number of Turkish soldiers in Kvor could exceed 1,000 by the end of the year, noting that according to official figures, 780 of the 4,511 soldiers serving in Kvor are Turks and 679 are Americans.

source: Balkan News