pamfleti.net<https://pamfleti.net/english/aktualitet/nga-shqiperia-te-kosova-e-serbia-gare-e-re-armatimi-ne-ballkan-si-po--i325432> >From Albania to Kosovo and Serbia, a new arms race in the Balkans/ How is the >EU being disoriented by Belgrade? PAMFLETI 8–10 minutes ________________________________
Military parade Serbia and Kosovo are increasing military capabilities at a time when the EU and NATO are expanding support for security in the region. The rapid increase in defense spending in Europe, driven by the war in Ukraine and tensions in the Middle East, is also directly affecting the Western Balkans. Countries in the region are gaining access to new weapons and military systems, while at the same time unresolved political and territorial disputes persist. This development is testing regional stability and the European Union's ability to act as a stabilizing factor in its neighborhood. The Balkans has experienced armed conflicts throughout the 1990s and remains a region of fragile tensions between neighbors. In this context, the growth of military arsenals by EU candidate countries is taking place in parallel with an integration process that has remained slow and uncertain for many years. According to an analysis by the European Institute for Security Studies (EUISS) in Paris, recurrent tensions and institutional fragmentation in the region are not usually limited to the local level. Developments in the Balkans, according to the institute, often become a test for the political and strategic cohesion of the European Union. Increasing the role of the EU and NATO in regional security Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the European Union and NATO launched a series of financial initiatives to strengthen Europe's defense capabilities. These initiatives have also included the countries of the Western Balkans. One of the instruments is the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) loan program, in which Croatia participates as an EU member state. At the same time, NATO has activated the Peace Facility, a fund of around 90 million euros that supports security projects in Albania, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. These programs give Brussels a degree of influence over the direction of the participating countries' defense policies. However, in parallel with this Western support, Serbia and Kosovo are also developing independent programs to strengthen their armies. This military competition takes place at the same time as the transformation of defense policy in Europe and with the EU's efforts to expand security cooperation with candidate countries. Serbia's ambiguous foreign policy Serbia has one of the most ambiguous foreign policies in the region. It maintains close relations with Russia and China, while at the same time remaining a candidate country for membership in the European Union. Buxheti i saj i mbrojtjes është më i larti në Ballkan, rreth 2.2 miliardë euro në vit, duke e bërë Serbinë aktorin ushtarak më të fuqishëm në rajon. Në të njëjtën kohë, Serbia ka eksportuar armë me vlerë mbi 800 milionë euro në Ukrainë, edhe pse ruan lidhje politike dhe energjetike me Rusinë. Ky dualizëm në politikën e jashtme ka ngritur dyshime në disa kryeqytete evropiane për orientimin strategjik të vendit. Serbia zhvillon gjithashtu stërvitje të përbashkëta ushtarake me Kinën dhe ka blerë një pjesë të konsiderueshme të sistemeve të saj ushtarake nga Pekini, përfshirë dronë dhe sisteme të mbrojtjes kundërraketore. Në të njëjtën kohë, Beogradi ka lidhur marrëveshje të rëndësishme me vendet perëndimore. Beogradi ka blerë avionë luftarakë Rafale nga Franca, të financuar nga bankat franceze, dhe ka bashkëpunim të rëndësishëm në fushën e armatimeve me Izraelin. Ky kombinim partneritetesh strategjike e bën të paqartë për Bashkimin Evropian se në cilin drejtim po orientohet Serbia në planin afatgjatë. Sipas Marko Savkoviç, këshilltar i lartë në institutin kërkimor ISAC Fund në Beograd, pyetja kryesore është natyra e sistemeve të reja ushtarake: nëse ato janë të projektuara vetëm për mbrojtje apo nëse përfshijnë edhe kapacitete ofensivë. Ndërtimi i shpejtë i kapaciteteve ushtarake në Kosovë Ndërkohë, edhe Kosova ka përshpejtuar ndjeshëm procesin e militarizimit dhe modernizimit të forcave të saj të sigurisë. Një nga zhvillimet më të rëndësishme është blerja e një numri të papublikuar dronësh Bayraktar TB2 nga Turqia, të cilët konsiderohen sisteme të avancuara për mbikëqyrje dhe operacione taktike. Megjithatë, Serbia ruan ende një epërsi të konsiderueshme ushtarake. Ushtria serbe ka rreth 22 mijë ushtarë aktivë, ndërsa Forca e Sigurisë së Kosovës (FSK) numëron rreth 5 mijë pjesëtarë. Sipas analistëve të mbrojtjes, FSK është në një proces transformimi gradual për t’u shndërruar në një ushtri të plotë. Teknologjitë e reja, si dronët turq, synojnë të kompensojnë disavantazhin numerik dhe teknologjik ndaj Serbisë. Kosova gjithashtu ka rritur ndjeshëm shpenzimet për mbrojtjen. Ato janë rritur nga 65 milionë euro në vitin 2021 në 208 milionë euro në vitin 2025. Qeveria në Prishtinë planifikon të investojë të paktën 1 miliard euro gjatë 4 viteve të ardhshme për modernizimin e ushtrisë. Planet përfshijnë blerjen e helikopterëve Black Haëk, ndërtimin e një fabrike municionesh me mbështetjen e Turqisë, si dhe furnizimin me raketa antitank OMTAS, të cilat Turqia i dorëzoi në janar 2026. Kosova gjithashtu synon anëtarësimin në NATO, edhe pse disa vende të aleancës nuk e njohin pavarësinë e saj. Sipas autoriteteve kosovare, vendi tashmë shpenzon rreth 2 për qind të prodhimit të brendshëm bruto për mbrojtjen, nivel që përputhet me objektivin e NATO-s për vendet anëtare. Rreziku i tensioneve të reja rajonale Rritja e kapaciteteve ushtarake në Kosovë dhe Serbi mund të rrisë tensionet në rajon, veçanërisht nëse ndodhin incidente të reja të sigurisë. One such example was the incident in Banjska in 2023, where Serbian militants clashed with Kosovo police. Such events show that the situation remains fragile. Meanwhile, the European Union-mediated dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia remains blocked and the level of trust between the parties is very low. Kosovo is also part of a military cooperation agreement with Albania and Croatia, which provides for the supply of weapons and opportunities for joint training. Serbia has opposed this initiative and sees the military strengthening of neighboring countries as a negative development for regional security. According to Bojana Zoric from the European Institute for Security Studies, Serbia interprets any attempt by countries in the region to increase their military capabilities as an action that could negatively affect the security balance. The idea for a defense college in the Balkans In this context, several research institutes have proposed the creation of a defense college for the Balkans, similar to the Baltic Defense College, which provides professional military education for countries in the Baltic region. According to analysts, such an institution could serve to more closely integrate the Western Balkans into the European security architecture and increase professional cooperation between the region's militaries. However, this idea still remains in the proposal stage. The European Commission has announced that the existing European Security and Defence College is now open to participants from Balkan countries and that it is ready to provide additional support to partners when required. Another challenge affecting regional stability is the growing disillusionment with the European Union's enlargement process. In many Western Balkan countries, there is a perception that the accession process is taking too long and that the European perspective has become more uncertain. In Serbia, according to polls, more than 60 percent of citizens no longer expect the country to join the EU. This complicated political climate makes it more difficult for the European Union to strengthen its role as a guarantor of stability in the region. A test of the EU's stabilizing role Recent developments show that the Western Balkans remain a key region for European security. As Europe increases defense investment and expands military cooperation with candidate countries, the main challenge for the European Union will be to balance this commitment without creating new dividing lines in a region that still bears the scars of past conflicts. The EU's ability to manage this process and strengthen stability in the Western Balkans will be an important test of its influence and credibility as a strategic actor in its neighbourhood. /Adapted from Euractiv / armatime<https://pamfleti.net/tag/armatime> ballkani<https://pamfleti.net/tag/ballkani> gara<https://pamfleti.net/tag/gara> rajoni<https://pamfleti.net/tag/rajoni> -- http:www.antic.org --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "SERBIAN NEWS NETWORK" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/senet/PH0PR13MB54468D76E3817F9E66F89402AE47A%40PH0PR13MB5446.namprd13.prod.outlook.com.
