BELGRADE, Serbia
Before the most recent flare-up in the Israel-Palestine conflict, another region that was in global headlines as a potential hotspot of unrest was the Balkans.
A series of incidents and clashes involving Kosovo and Serbia, the most recent being in late September, had raised the specter of a looming crisis as the two sides exchanged strong words.
In the midst of it all, Türkiye took command of NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR) on Oct. 9, with Maj. Gen. Ozkan Ulutas formally assuming charge at a ceremony at the headquarters in Pristina, Kosovo’s capital.
That transfer of power came as Türkiye and Serbia continue to develop relations in the field of defense and military, with a shared objective of peace and stability in the Balkans.
Türkiye is also among the countries that have formally recognized Kosovo since it gained independence from Serbia in 2008.
Belgrade has never recognized Kosovo and still claims it as its own territory.
Speaking to Anadolu, Nemanja Starovic, state secretary of Serbia’s Defense Ministry, said while Belgrade and Ankara disagree over Kosovo’s independence, they remain focused on preserving peace and stability through dialogue.
“We have a different outlook on an issue that is of most importance to us and relates to our territorial integrity,” said Starovic.
“Yet what is connecting us right now is our joint wish to preserve peace and stability throughout the Western Balkans.”
Starovic said Serbia appreciates Türkiye’s role as the current 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 said.
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,” said Starovic.
Among 27 NATO member countries and partners, Türkiye has the second-largest contingent in KFOR, contributing 780 of its approximately 4,500 soldiers.
“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 said.
“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 two countries have “concrete plans” on how to enhance defense ties.
He said the two sides had “very frank and very open” discussions during Guler’s late October visit, including 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.”
Türkiye ‘an international superpower’
Perko Matovic, director of the Center for National Policy in Serbia, also spoke highly of Türkiye’s ability to ensure stability in the Balkans, as well as the potential for stronger ties between Ankara and Belgrade.
He pointed out that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was one of the first leaders to call President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to offer support on the night of the defeated July 2016 coup attempt.
The Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup on July 15, 2016 in Türkiye, which left 253 people dead and 2,734 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 said.
He said 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 said.
Matovic emphasized that he does not recognize Türkiye as a regional power, but rather 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 said.
In the Balkans, Türkiye is a critical stabilizing factor, particularly because 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,” said 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 differences over Kosovo will not deter Ankara and Belgrade from further developing 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,” said 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 two countries are currently in a golden age, with cooperation in every field.
“Our relations with Serbia have reached the highest level in the past 10 years,” he told 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,” said Aksoy.
The ambassador also emphasized Türkiye’s strong historical ties to the Balkans, stressing that it is “impossible to think of the region without Türkiye.”
