Former Croatian Defense Minister Ante Kotromanović has commented on Serbia's rearmament and the risks to regional security, warning that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić could have attacked Kosovo if the situation in Ukraine had been different.
His statements were made during an interview with N1.
Kotromanović recalled the bilateral military-technical cooperation agreement between Croatia and Serbia, signed in 2009, emphasizing that this cooperation had included assistance during floods and about 10-15 joint military exercises.
According to him, Vučić's rearmament actions are mainly instruments for consolidating his power and that of his party.
“Everything Vucic is doing now regarding rearmament is an internal instrument to strengthen his position and that of his party, along with efforts to control all segments necessary to stay in power.”
He added that Belgrade's obsession with Kosovo shows that Vučić has never overcome this issue.
“I believe that Vucic, with his forces and some Russians, would have advanced into Kosovo if Russia had defeated Ukraine within a month. Who would have stopped him then?”
Kotromanović also highlighted the differences between Croatia and Serbia in terms of armaments: Croatia, as a NATO member, has obligations that do not pose a threat to its neighbors, and there is no possibility that Croatian forces would be used to attack Serbia.
“This would be pure madness,” he concluded.
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