Before the latest flare-up within the Israel-Palestine battle, one other area that was in world headlines as a possible hotspot of unrest was the Balkans.
A collection of incidents and clashes involving Kosovo and Serbia, the latest being in late September, had raised the specter of a looming disaster as the 2 sides exchanged robust phrases.
In the midst of all of it, Türkiye took command of NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR) on Oct. 9, with Maj. Gen. Ozkan Ulutas formally assuming cost at a ceremony on the headquarters in Pristina, Kosovo’s capital.
That switch of energy got here as Türkiye and Serbia proceed to develop relations within the discipline of protection and army, with a shared goal of peace and stability within the Balkans.
Türkiye can also be among the many nations which have formally acknowledged Kosovo because it gained independence from Serbia in 2008.
Belgrade has by no means acknowledged Kosovo and nonetheless claims it as its personal territory.
Speaking to Anadolu, Nemanja Starovic, state secretary of Serbia’s Defense Ministry, stated whereas Belgrade and Ankara disagree over Kosovo’s independence, they continue to be centered on preserving peace and stability by means of dialogue.
“We have a different outlook on an issue that is of most importance to us and relates to our territorial integrity,” stated Starovic.
“Yet what is connecting us right now is our joint wish to preserve peace and stability throughout the Western Balkans.”
Starovic stated Serbia appreciates Türkiye’s function as the present KFOR commander.
“What we had accomplished in our previous talks with both Maj. Gen. Ulutas and Defense Minister Yasar Guler was to identify the common goals, common interests, and to acknowledge that Türkiye will really do everything in its capacity … to preserve peace and stability. Serbia highly appreciates that fact,” he stated.
Belgrade is “very hopeful … that we will see more security for Serbs living in Kosovo on the ground since Turkish troops are on the field,” he added.
“We have been assured by both Maj. Gen. Ulutas and Minister Guler that the Turkish contingent within the KFOR mission will perform some kind of outreach to local communities to provide them with basic services that they are lacking right now,” stated Starovic.
Among 27 NATO member nations and companions, Türkiye has the second-largest contingent in KFOR, contributing 780 of its roughly 4,500 troopers.
“Türkiye as the largest country of the Balkans and Serbia with its central position in the region … we understand that there is a common interest and there is great importance in cooperation and jointly working to keep the calm in the region,” he stated.
“We understand that is something of most importance for both Ankara and Belgrade. That provides a very good and solid base for further improvement of relations in the field of security and the defense.”
According to Starovic, the 2 nations have “concrete plans” on improve protection ties.
He stated the 2 sides had “very frank and very open” discussions throughout Guler’s late October go to, together with talks on “intentions to purchase some highly sophisticated military equipment from Türkiye, as well as Türkiye’s desire to purchase some of military material produced in Serbia.”
TÜRKİYE ‘AN INTERNATIONAL SUPERPOWER’
Perko Matovic, director of the Center for National Policy in Serbia, additionally spoke extremely of Türkiye’s capability to make sure stability within the Balkans, in addition to the potential for stronger ties between Ankara and Belgrade.
He identified that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was one of many first leaders to name President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to supply assist on the evening of the defeated July 2016 coup try.
The Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and its US-based chief Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on July 15, 2016 in Türkiye, which left 253 folks lifeless and a pair of,734 injured.
“Erdogan is a strong leader who defended his country against the coup attempt. After that Serbia and Türkiye started furthering relations. It’s normal that political stability and cultural relations are followed by the defense relations,” he stated.
He stated Türkiye’s KFOR command is “very good for both Serbia and Serbs living in Kosovo.”
“We are very, very happy that there is Turkish command and Turkish soldiers who are professionals. We are expecting professionalism. We are expecting balanced sense and stability and security for our citizens,” he stated.
Matovic emphasised that he doesn’t acknowledge Türkiye as a regional energy, however relatively as “an international superpower.”
“Türkiye is very, very capable of influencing many world affairs. President Erdogan is responsible for that at this point. We can learn a lot from Türkiye,” he stated.
In the Balkans, Türkiye is a essential stabilizing issue, significantly as a result of it has a balanced stance, he added.
“As far as the Kosovo issue is concerned, we differ with Türkiye, but regardless of those differences, Türkiye was one of the rare international powers who, even though it has a strong stance about Kosovo’s independence, was very, very balanced,” stated Matovic.
“Türkiye never favored one position. Türkiye always took our opinion into consideration and that’s why we are very grateful to Türkiye.”
He asserted that variations over Kosovo is not going to deter Ankara and Belgrade from additional creating bilateral relations.
“Serbia and Türkiye will be able, through economic and political stability, to overcome the differences, and maybe in a few years, we will have much more aligned interests even in our foreign policies,” stated the analyst.
“Serbia’s military neutrality opens doors of opportunities with Türkiye to develop relations in every field.”
In Turkish Ambassador Hami Aksoy’s view, relations between the 2 nations are at the moment in a golden age, with cooperation in each discipline.
“Our relations with Serbia have reached the highest level in the past 10 years,” he instructed Anadolu.
“We receive great support from Serbia in our fight against the FETO terror organization. Serbia is the only country in Balkans which unconditionally supports us against FETO,” stated Aksoy.
The ambassador additionally emphasised Türkiye’s robust historic ties to the Balkans, stressing that it’s “impossible to think of the region without Türkiye.”
Source: www.anews.com.tr