Defense Minister: Serbian Army Hasn’t Trespassed Anywhere Where It Shouldn’t Be

Nebojsa Stefanovic, Serbian Army units (BETAPHOTO/DEFENSE MINISTTRY/Darimir Banda/MO)

Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic on Sept. 28 said that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic had given the order to heighten the alert of the Serbian Army units across the Ground Safety Zone along the administrative line with Kosovo, but stressed that the Serbian Army “has not trespassed anywhere where it should not be.”  

Stefanovic told TV Pink that the army “is ready to defend its people,” and that a heightened state of alert and presence along the administrative line with Kosovo “is primarily a preventive mechanism.”

“In our territory, we have the right to deploy (units), no one will be telling us what to do, it is our sovereign decision. We are not violating any international agreement, the army has not trespassed anywhere where it should not be,” Stefanovic specified.

Jarinje and Brnjak administrative crossings in Kosovo’s north have been blocked by the Serbs, who have been protesting Pristina’s decision to ban Serbian car plates.

Several armored vehicles of a special police unit have been deployed near Jarinje administrative crossing, while five KFOR members for the first time on Sept. 27 walked to the crossing and went back as part of increased patrols, as announced by KFOR Headquarters in Pristina.