Vucic claims that the army will not enter Kosovo, Kurti does not rule out repeated aggression
Political tensions between Serbia and Kosovo are growing. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said he had no intention of ordering the army to cross the administrative border with Kosovo and Metohija, adding that he would withdraw Serbian forces from the area because, he said, escalating the conflict would be counterproductive when it comes to the desire of Serbia to become a member of the European Union.
"Why would this be beneficial for Belgrade?" What would be the idea? To destroy our position that we have been building for a year? Shall we destroy it in one day? Serbia does not want war," Vucic said in a statement to the Financial Times.
He added that Washington's warnings are disproportionate as the number of Serbian forces on the ground is dwindling.
Earlier tonight, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti told Al Jazeera that Sunday's attack in the north of Kosovo was not civil resistance or the work of gangs, but an attack by armed paramilitary formations equipped and prepared by Belgrade.
In the interview, Kurti states that apparently the attack was carried out on the orders of Serbia. When asked if the Kosovo authorities have intelligence about new attacks, Kurti replied that there is a lot of information and that those "armed groups", which he said are provided with equipment, weapons and ammunition by the Serbian armed forces, are constantly training near the borders of Kosovo and "preparing for war".
"Re-aggression is not excluded," Kurti said, adding that Serbia wanted the war to start on Sunday, September 24.
He accused Belgrade and the armed groups of wanting to repeat the scenario by starting the war in Sarajevo.
According to Kurti, the president of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, and the vice-president of the Serbian List, Milan Radoicic, who he said claimed responsibility for the attack in the north of Kosovo, are "Slobodan Milosevic and Zeljko Raznatovic Arkan" who want the region back in the 90s.
He says that "paramilitary groups" in Kosovo are also linked to groups from Russia, such as Wagner, calling Vucic and Radoicic "Putin and Prigozhin".
The Kosovo Prime Minister accused Vucic of "wanting a new war and genocide, because he wants Republika Srpska in Kosovo."
"Just as Russia initially waged a hybrid war in Ukraine, Serbia is doing it against us," Kurti told Al Jazeera.
