The complex Turkish-Serbian ties may have run into trouble over Ankara’s shipment of kamikaze drones to Kosovo. However, observers have called the Serbian response ‘hypocritical,’ stating that Belgrade has recently supplied rockets to Cyprus, a nemesis of Turkey in the Mediterranean.
Belgrade and Ankara share complex relations, which are a concoction of economic cooperation and deep historical and political tensions. Interestingly, Turkey maintains robust ties with Kosovo, which is claimed by Serbia as its sovereign territory, whereas Serbia maintains good ties with Cyprus, an adversary of Turkey.
On October 8, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić accused Turkey of breaking international law and causing instability in the Western Balkans by arming Kosovo.
“I am horrified by Turkey’s behavior and the brutal violation of the U.N. Charter and U.N. Security Council Resolution 1244, as well as the continued arming of the Pristina authorities,” Vučić said on X, referring to the capital of Kosovo.
“It is now completely clear that Turkey does not want stability in the Western Balkans and is once again dreaming of restoring the Ottoman Empire. Serbia is a small country, but we have clearly understood the message!” he added.
Turkey maintains close relations with Kosovo and was among the first countries to recognize its independence in 2008.
I am appalled by Türkiye's behaviour and the brutal violation of the UN Charter and UN Security Council Resolution 1244, as well as the continued arming of the authorities in Pristina. It is now completely clear that Türkiye does not want stability in the Western Balkans and is…
— Александар Вучић (@predsednikrs) October 8, 2025
Serbia has not been this furious with Turkey since 2013, when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared: “Turkey is Kosovo, and Kosovo is Turkey. We are as close to one another as our National Anthem.”
Vučić’s outburst comes after Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti announced that Kosovo had received “thousands” of so-called RTF (Ready to Fly) Skydagger FPV drones, which are combat drones capable of hitting both stationary and moving targets and are equipped with explosive charges.
He claimed that the new equipment “significantly increases the army’s strike power through the use of technological advances that meet the needs of modern warfare” and that the cargo had arrived sooner than anticipated.
While Turkey has not responded, Turkish authorities have repeatedly justified their military collaboration with Pristina as a means of bolstering regional defense capabilities.
It is pertinent to note that while the sale or supply of weapons to Kosovo was prohibited by a 1998 UN Security Council resolution, the UN Security Council Resolution 1244 passed in 1999 stipulates that this prohibition “shall not apply to arms and related matériel for the use of the international civil and security presences.”
The development comes as Turkey assumed the command of NATO Peacekeeping Forces in Kosovo. The Turkish Operational Reserve Force (ORF) completed its deployment to Kosovo as part of NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR) peacekeeping mission in late September 2025.
Why Is Serbia Angry?
Serbia condemns shipments of arms to Kosovo because it considers Kosovo to be part of its territory, and views it as an autonomous province within the Republic of Serbia, even though Kosovo broke away and declared independence in 2008.
Today, Kosovo functions as a separate entity with its own government and is recognized by over 100 countries, including Turkey, the United States, and multiple European states.
Needless to say, Serbia does not recognize Kosovo’s independence and continues to assert sovereignty over it. In fact, the latest accusations made against Turkey coincide with increased tensions in northern Kosovo, where regional security concerns have been rekindled by intermittent clashes between Serb communities and Kosovo’s security forces.
To understand Serbia’s fury, it is imperative to recall history.
In 1974, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia gave Kosovo, a province that had been part of Serbia during the Yugoslav era, considerable autonomy. However, when former Serbian leader Slobodan Milošević rescinded this autonomy in 1989, the ethnic Albanian majority (roughly 90% of Kosovo’s population) allegedly became the target of severe discrimination and violence.
Tensions peaked in the 1990s when the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) was established to use guerrilla warfare to combat what they referred to as Serbian tyranny.
This culminated in the Kosovo War of 1999, during which it was alleged that the Serbian forces were carrying out ethnic cleansing. As per claims, the conflict displaced over 800,000 Albanians and killed thousands of others.
Following this armed conflict, NATO forces bombed what was then the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which included Serbia and Montenegro. NATO’s 11-week bombing campaign eventually reached Belgrade, where it caused significant infrastructural damage to Serbia. The airstrikes claimed the lives of over 2,500 people, including 87 children.
Later, Yugoslavia disintegrated, but tensions between Kosovo and Serbia continued.
Kosovo had been under international administration since 1999, and in 2008, it finally declared independence. Turkey was among the first countries to recognize Kosovo’s independence on February 18, 2008, just one day after its declaration, establishing full diplomatic relations shortly thereafter.
These ties have deepened under Turkey’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) government, emphasizing “neo-Ottoman” outreach to the Balkans for geopolitical and economic influence.
In fact, during the 1990s Kosovo conflict, Turkey supported Albanian interests politically and militarily, aligning with NATO’s 1999 intervention against Serbia. Additionally, Ankara advocated for the inclusion of Kosovo’s Turkish minority in peace talks.
Turkey views Kosovo as a key partner in the Western Balkans, promoting its sovereignty while balancing ties with Serbia. This is why the sale of weapons to Kosovo has drawn such a strong reaction from the Serbian President.
As per reports, Kosovo has also acquired Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones, among other weapon systems.
Serbia condemns the arming of Kosovo due to sporadic military clashes, border incidents, and armed confrontations in Kosovo’s Serb-majority areas.
Serbia’s Hypocrisy?
Vučić’s comments received backlash on social media, with observers calling it hypocritical, as Serbia has also acquired weapons from Turkey.
An Albanian netizen who goes by the name ‘Nora’ on X quipped: “Vucic accuses Turkey of trying to restore the Ottoman Empire by supplying drones to Kosovo. Meanwhile, Turkey has given Serbia weapons worth millions in 2024. Moreover, there are around 850 Turkish-owned companies operating in Serbia.”
Separately, Serbia has been steadily modernizing its military and bolstering its combat power, as covered by the EurAsian Times in a previous report.
Some other observers and netizens mocked Serbia for showing faith in Ankara.
“Turkey will always side with Albanians over Serbia, but in 2022, in all your wisdom, you announced intentions of purchasing Turkish drones and then, in 2024, announced cooperation with Turkey in the military sector, including in drone production. Harsh lesson, but you had centuries of history to learn this lesson from,” Paul Antonopoulos, a Greek journalist, wrote on X.
More importantly, though, Serbia has also been arming Cyprus, a country seen as an adversary by Turkey. Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974, which led to the establishment of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), as explained in detail by the EurAsian Times. Cyprus and Turkey have remained in tension since.
Serbia developed robust ties with Cyprus, ruled by a government loyal to Greek Cypriots, as they faced common challenges. Cyprus does not recognise Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence, and Serbia does not recognise the TRNC.
Earlier this month, the Cypriot National Guard disclosed that it had received Serbian-made Tamnava multiple rocket launchers (MRLs), a move that could surely be viewed as a challenge by Ankara.
Like the Turkey-based military blogging account ‘Clash Report’ said on X: “Belgrade accuses Türkiye of ‘destabilizing the region’ over simple FPV drones that anyone can buy online, even as it fuels real tensions across the Balkans and Eastern Mediterranean. Just recently, Serbia sold its 70-km-range Tamnava rocket systems to the Greek Cypriot Administration, stoking instability near Türkiye’s southern coast.”
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