Belgrade denies Pristina's accusations on arms deals (TV N1)
Serbia’s Trade Minister Rasim Ljajic denied yesterday Kosovo official's accusations that Belgrade had been “selling or donating” weapons to some countries to withdraw recognitions of Kosovo, saying “we don’t sell the arms for peanuts, let alone giving it as a gift.”
Commenting on Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Behgjet Pacolli's statement that Pristina had proofs about Belgrade “trading” weapons for revoking recognitions, Ljajic told N1 that Serbia had two commercial contracts with Cameroon since 2014 on arms trade one worth 31 million Euros and the other 1.6 million Euros.
The AI recommended to Belgrade to stop selling arms to Cameroon, but the recommendation is not compulsory.
Ljajic said that the US, China and Austria exported ten times more weapons to Cameroon than Serbia.
A military analyst Aleksandar Radic said that Serbia exported weapons “directly or indirectly to warring sides politically suitable to the US and its allies in Western Africa, other countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East and Central Asia.”
Earlier, Pacolli accused Belgrade diplomacy of either selling or donating weapons to some countries to prevent their recognition of Kosovo’s independence or to annul it. He said that Pristina was considering how to thwart those moves.