Serbia 48 military bases bordering Kosovo, Macedonia: Waiting for a convenient moment for assault

Kosovo Defence Minister Ejup Macedonia questioned in an interview for A2 CNN, why Kosovo failed to convince internationals to punish Serbia for the terrorist attack on Banjska, said it has to do with a political calculations of partners.

According to Macedonia, the lack of severe punishment for Serbia by the EU and the US has been a tactical movement to enable continued dialogue.

“I think all international partners are convinced that except this terrorist group has been aiming for division and annexing part of our country's territory, there has also been links to Serbia's state structures. This is actually said by those who have stated in most detail about the Banjska case. I believe there has been a political settlement by the international community in this case. A portion of our partners have considered developing a softer policy in relation to Serbia in this situation, perhaps from their perspective to enable the continuation of the” dialogue, Macedonia said.

But the historical flow of events in the Balkans, according to Kosovo Defence Minister, has always shown that Serbia sits at the table and softens only when using “forca”.

“But we have had in this region whenever such situations where for Serbia, the only means to force it to down and make political solutions has been the force. I think it took a stronger reaction, sanctions had to be imposed and it had to be made known to Serbia that this hegemonistic and aggressive approach to neighbours cannot produce any other outcome than that in Banjska. ”

Defence Minister in Kosovo Ejup Macedonia has also talked about Serbian military bases that are located along the border with Kosovo, which he says are a permanent danger.

He indicated that at these bases, not far from Kosovo's territory, 3 of the four Serbian infantry brigades are deployed, while adding that their tactical distribution shows they are waiting for the right moment to conduct an invasion.

“48 Serbian Army bases exist along the border. They are at a distance from 300m to 5km within Serbia's border. They're a threat. The bases are hostilely directed towards Kosovo territory and are 3 of the 4 Serbian infantry brigades deployed in southern Serbia. These are at a short distance from Kosovo. These 3 brigades support 48 operational bases. These types of bases are placed in locations where an invasion is expected. These bases expect a convenient moment for Serbia to conduct military shares, or support an attack like Banjska's. There are once 4,000 troops on these bases, equipped with weapons and means for military attacks”, Macedonia said.