Serbia publicly displayed a recently delivered Chinese anti-aircraft missile system on Saturday, raising concerns in the West and among some of its neighbors.
The sophisticated HQ-22 surface-to-air system was delivered last month by a dozen Chinese Air Force Y-20 transport aircraft. Although Serbia is seeking membership in the European Union, it has been arming itself primarily with Russian and Chinese weapons, including T-72 main battle tanks, MiG-29 fighter jets, Mi-35 attack helicopters and drones.
In 2020, US officials warned Belgrade against buying HQ-22 missile systems, the export version of which is known as the FK-3. They said that if Serbia wants to join the EU and other Western alliances, it must bring its military equipment in line with Western standards.
The Chinese missile system has been compared to the American Patriot and Russian S-300 surface-to-air missile systems, although they have a shorter range than the more advanced S-300s.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said at the end of the weapons exhibition at a military airport near Belgrade that the Chinese missiles, as well as other recently delivered military equipment, are not a threat to anyone and only represent a “powerful deterrent”. » against potential attackers.
Serbia, which was at war with its neighbors in the 1990s, does not recognize Kosovo’s independence, declared in 2008. It still has cool relations with NATO members Croatia and Montenegro, as well as Bosnia.
Vucic said that Serbia is also negotiating the purchase of French Dessault Rafale jets as well as British Eurofighter Typhoon fighters. He said that only “political obstacles” could prevent the purchase of the Western plane.
There is concern that Russia could push its ally Serbia into armed conflict with its neighbors to try, at least in part, to divert public attention from the war in Ukraine.
Although Serbia has voted in favor of UN resolutions condemning bloody Russian attacks in Ukraine, it has refused to join international sanctions against its allies in Moscow or openly criticize the atrocities committed by Russian troops in Ukraine.
Associated Press/OnCuba.
