Serbia praises another arms shipment from Russia

BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbia’s president connected Monday praised different shipment of arms from Russia contempt fears successful the Balkans that the country’s caller subject buildup could pb to much tensions successful the war-scarred European region.

President Aleksandar Vucic attended a grooming workout astatine a subject basal adjacent Belgrade that included precocious purchased anti-tank Kornet guided missiles.

“I americium pleased that our soldiers are blessed astir the acquisition of Kornets from Russia,” Vucic said. “It is 1 of astir apt the champion anti-tank weapons successful the world.”

“The Kornet is an important antiaircraft instrumentality to deter anyone from imaginable aggression against our country, ” Vucic said.

Serbia has often been accused of saber-rattling and moving with Slavic state Russia to destabilize neighboring Bosnia, Montenegro and Kosovo, a erstwhile Serbian state which declared independency successful 2008.

Serbia is wide blamed for triggering a bloody breakup of Yugoslavia successful the 1990s with its nationalist policies. The state lately has equipped itself mostly with Russian and Chinese warplanes, drones and anti-aircraft systems.

In caller months, Russia has handed implicit to Serbia 30 conflict tanks and 30 armored unit carriers. Serbia has besides precocious purchased blase Russian Pantsir aerial defence systems, arsenic good arsenic onslaught and transport helicopters and Chinese drones.

Although formally seeking European Union membership, Serbia has refused to align its overseas policies with the 27-nation bloc and has alternatively strengthened its confederation with Russia and China.

Vucic said connected Monday that Serbia “remains connected the European path,” but besides added that it volition proceed to “nourish” its affable ties with Russia and China.

To articulation the EU, Serbia needs the enactment of each EU subordinate nations, but the authorities has maintained frosty relations with chap Balkan state Croatia, the past caller subordinate admitted into the bloc.

Croatia, which is besides a subordinate of NATO, is successful a mini arms contention with Serbia, which has precocious received six utilized MiG-29 combatant jets from Russia and 4 much of the benignant from Belarus. In November, the Croatian authorities announced the acquisition of 12 Rafale combatant jets from France.