A new defence pact between Kosovo, Albania and Croatia is rattling nerves in Belgrade—while officials in Pristina, Tirana and Zagreb insist the move is about stability, not provocation.
Kosovo, Albania and Croatia have signed a joint declaration on defence cooperation—opening the door to NATO and EU partners who want to support peace and security in Southeast Europe.
Croatia’s government said the agreement is “not a military alliance” but a step toward closer collaboration among friends and partners. It stressed that Kosovo and Albania are not bound by the 1996 arms quota agreement Serbia cites in protest.
Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic has claimed the deal could start an arms race, calling it a violation of regional peace norms. But experts and regional analysts say Belgrade’s reaction is political theatre, aimed at distracting from domestic unrest.
Daniel Serwer, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, said Serbia knows NATO allies won’t act unilaterally, and the agreement poses “no threat whatsoever” to Belgrade. He called Kosovo’s move “smart”—partnering with NATO states while Serbia refuses to recognise its independence.
Critics say Serbia is using the deal to stir nationalist sentiment at home, where protests have rocked the country for months. Defence Minister Bratislav Gaši? has dismissed Kosovo’s sovereignty and accused Croatia and Albania of trying to “smuggle” Kosovo into NATO.
Meanwhile, Zagreb, Tirana and Pristina say the agreement responds to rising hybrid and cyber threats in the region—not any one country.
Serwer argues the real arms race is Serbia’s own, as it continues to buy heavy weapons while ignoring past deals with Kosovo and backing secessionist rhetoric from Republika Srpska.
“Serbia is not a force for peace,” Serwer said. “Vucic is simply fooling naïve diplomats.”
