Serbia ready to send troops to Kosovo if request to KOFR approved: MoD

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Serbian Defense Minister Milos Vucevic stated on Monday that his country's armed forces are prepared to deploy soldiers to Kosovo and Metohija in case the request made to the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) is approved.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Saturday that the country will formally send a request on December 15 to the KFOR for approval to send Serbian military and police forces to Kosovo, however, this request will probably be dismissed.

"In accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1244, we will send a request to the KFOR commander to arrange for the deployment of the Serbian army and police contingent in Kosovo and Metohija," Vucic said while addressing the nation and reading out the relevant paragraph of the Security Council resolution.

"Of course, I have no illusions, and I know that they will deny this request. And I'm telling you that in advance," Vucic stressed, noting that it was still necessary to try.

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On Sunday, the Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti urged the KFOR to intervene in lifting barricades from roads that were set up by local Serbs in several locations leading to the border crossing points of Bërnjak and Jarinje in the North of Kosovo.  

"Serbia is ready to send troops, hopefully, the government will discuss it this week. We are talking about a paragraph of UN Security Council resolution 1244 and a military-technical agreement; given the situation on the ground, its application is requested. Because it is obvious that there are not enough security forces in Kosovo and Metohija to ensure the security of Serbs," Vucevic told Serbian news outlet TV Pink.

In short: Explainer: The Kosovo-Serbia tensions

Serbia's defense minister said that Belgrade is acting within its rights to request for troop deployment under the UN Security Council resolution.

Germany's top diplomat Annalena Baerbock earlier labeled Serbia's proposal [to send troops to Kosovo] as "completely acceptable".

Vucevic condemned her statement and said that the German Foreign Minister, "answered for the KFOR commander, who cannot answer since he has not yet received [the request from Belgrade]. There will be a government meeting on Thursday, then he will receive it," noting that Baerbock's comments came at the same time that Kosovo's PM refused to establish an "association of Serb Municipalities" in Kosovo while the Kosovo and Albanian police have been conducting strong actions north of Kosovo and in Metohija.

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On September 10, Vuvic expressed his concerns over the flow of weapons, technology, and equipment supplied by the United States to Kosovo and other Balkan countries.

On Saturday, Serbs in Kosovo's northern part blocked roads using barricades to protest the arrest of former police officer Dejan Pantic, Vecernje Novosti newspaper reported.

In mid-November, the ex-policeman quit his post along with other ethnic Serbs who work as law enforcers in Kosovo. He was arrested earlier on Saturday at the Jarinje border crossing.

Kosovo police and local media reported on Sunday that explosions, gunfire, and roadblocks were erected overnight in the north of the country, causing some injuries, as violence broke out in northern Kosovo after Serbs blocked roads.

High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell Tweeted: "EU will not tolerate attacks on EULEX Kosovo or use of violent, criminal acts in the north."

He also called on the Kosovo Serbs to remove the barricades immediately, stressing that "calm must be restored. EULEX will continue to coordinate with Kosovo authorities and KFOR. All actors must avoid escalation."

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Kurti stated that if KFOR refuses to take action, Kosovo's security forces will be prepared to carry out the mission themselves.

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova stated on Telegram on Sunday that the EU has been devising the current Kosovo-Serbia situation for years.

"Well, why 'inaction'. This is exactly the situation that the EU has essentially been modeling for years," she said, in response to a comment by Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic that Serbia is on the brink of war verge of war because of Kosovo's Prime Minister and due to the inaction of the EU.