Croatian Prime Minister 'calms' Vučić about the alliance with Kosovo and Albania

Kosovo, Albania and Croatia will conduct the first joint trilateral military exercise this year, which will be in line with NATO's strategic concept and the Euro-Atlantic objectives of these countries.

This cooperation aims to strengthen defense capacities, increase interoperability, and advance regional security in accordance with NATO standards.

The initiative has sparked strong reactions in Serbia, where President Aleksandar Vučić has described this cooperation as an "offensive alliance" directed against "Serbs and Serbia."

According to him, cooperation between Pristina, Tirana and Zagreb poses a threat to Serbian interests in the region.

The declaration on trilateral cooperation highlights four main areas of action. They include promoting cooperation in the development of defense capabilities and the defense industry, increasing interoperability through education, training and joint military exercises, addressing hybrid threats and strengthening institutional resilience, and providing continued and full support for Kosovo's Euro-Atlantic integration.

Based on this declaration, Pristina, Tirana and Zagreb envisage, among other things, joint purchases of weapons from the United States of America, in order to modernize their security and defense forces.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić stated during his visit to New Delhi that he had a conversation with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic regarding what he called the "military alliance of Croatia, Albania and Pristina".

According to Vučić, Plenkovic has assured him that this alliance is not directed against Serbia.

"I spoke at length with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and for the first time we talked about the military alliance of Pristina, Tirana and Zagreb. I can say that Prime Minister Plenkovic said that it was not directed against Serbia. Anything else he would say would go beyond the scope of civilization, good manners and would violate some rules of good faith and rational conversation," Vučić said, reports Today.

On the other hand, NATO Deputy Secretary General Radmila Shekerinska stated that Albania and Croatia are contributing to regional stability, when asked about their cooperation in the field of defense with Kosovo.

"Albania and Croatia are not only reliable and valued allies within the alliance. They are also contributors to regional peace and stability. They have a presence in KFOR, but they are generally focused on supporting this agenda in the region," Shekerinska told the Serbian news agency Beta.

She added that NATO was not part of the discussions or consultations on the declaration signed by Pristina, Tirana and Zagreb, but stressed that membership in the alliance does not prevent member states from entering into additional defense agreements with third parties.

"What we see in general is that the global geopolitical situation has also affected the region. We see more training, more investments in defense and security, but at the same time we call on allies and partners to engage in political dialogue to resolve open issues in the Western Balkans. Our presence in the region aims to support this type of political dialogue," said Shekerinska.

Recent statements and developments show that military cooperation between Kosovo, Albania and Croatia is being viewed from different perspectives in the region, while NATO continues to emphasize the importance of stability, political dialogue and cooperation in the Western Balkans.

The Geopost