Serbian Defence Minister reacts to Ashdown statement

NEWS 30.08.201812:03
Tanjug / Tanja Valič

Serbian Defence Minister Aleksandar Vulin has fiercely criticized former High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina Paddy Ashdown for warning against changes to borders in the Balkans.

“How was that not dangerous when Yugoslavia was being broken up,” Vulin told TV Pink on Thursday.  

“He says changes to borders are dangerous so how was that not dangerous when Kosovo was being taken from us, or when they bombed us or when you were breaking up Yugoslavia,” the minister said and accused Ashdown of systematically trying to destroy Bosnia-Herzegovina, and reducing the rights and abolishing the institutions of the Republika Srpska.  

Vulin said he advocates a demarcation between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo and an end to the expansion of “Greater Albania”. “Until that is resolved the Albanians will have a tactical advantage in deciding when to start conflicts and when to cause instability… and we will always have to react. We will always have to focus our policies only on responding to Albanian policies,” he added.  

According to the minister, a weak Serbia means there will be no Republika Srpska nor any Serbs in Kosovo.   Ashdown told Sarajevo daily Dnevni Avaz last week that any talk of changing the borders of Serbia and Kosovo are very dangerous and that any changes of borders would lead to war.