As part of the program Regional Initiative for combating disinformation “Western Balkans Combatting disinformation Center: Exposing malicious influences through fact-checking and Analytical Journalism“, we present you a new analysis of fake news and disinformation narratives.
Why Croatia, Albania, and Pristina are negotiating military cooperation: A Triple pact against Serbia
https://www.politika.rs/sr/clanak/668025/trojni-pakt-protiv-srbije
In mid-March, news about the signing of a memorandum on security and defense cooperation between Croatia, Albania, and Kosovo spread across regional media. At a meeting in Tirana on March 18, the defense ministers of Croatia, Albania, and Kosovo signed a joint Declaration on cooperation in the field of defense and security.
The trilateral document envisions deepening ties and cooperation in the areas of security and defense – through training, joint exercises, arms procurement, and support for further integrations – between two Balkan NATO members and Kosovo, which is an aspirant for membership in the Euro-Atlantic organization. The declaration is also open to other Balkan countries, with media speculating about the possible accession of Bulgaria.
In the past days and weeks, reactions to the new regional initiative have been pouring in. While the signatories, on one hand, emphasize that it is aimed at maintaining stability in the region, critics, primarily from Serbia, point out that the declaration represents a potential threat from the perspective of official Belgrade.
Domestic media have extensively reported on this topic from various angles, and one of the articles that illustratively reflects the viewpoint within pro-regime circles was published in the daily newspaper Politika. Right in the title of the analysis in Politika, a “controversial play on words” is tendentiously applied when describing the potential effects of the signed declaration – “A Triple pact against Serbia.”
The author, at the very beginning of the text, points out that “the trilateral memorandum in the field of defense… is not a surprise for Serbia, but a clear message… this move has been announced several times in recent years.” Then, a reference is made to the current internal situation in Serbia, marked by the largest protests, along with the repetition of the pro-regime narrative that the protests “intentionally” weaken Serbia’s position, and in this way, a “false connection” is created between alleged external threats and internal events in attempts to discredit the protests. It is claimed that “while Serbia is preoccupied with protests and discussions about whether a sound cannon was used and whether anyone saw it, Pristina, Tirana, and Zagreb are creating a military alliance that poses a direct security threat to our country.”
In the Politika article, it is suggested that “on the political level, this creates a horseshoe around our country, which not only gives free rein to Croatia and Albania, but primarily additional guarantees to so-called Kosovo.” The article continues in a similar tone, with historical analogies being inevitably made for such texts – “former allies in wars against Serbia have decided to unite forces… this initiative represents an open provocation and gross ignorance of the reality on the ground.”
Politika also conveys the opinions of some Serbian military analysts and “intelligence officers” who emphasize that “the primary target (of the trilateral declaration) was Serbia.” The interviewees, considering the topic through outdated nationalist categories from the past, remind readers “that it is clear to everyone who the arch-enemy of the memorandum signatories is.” Aleksandar Vulin, the Vice President of the Government of Serbia, stated for Politika that “the military alliance of Croatia, Albania, and so-called Kosovo… is an alliance against Serbia and a threat to Serbs” and added, once again connecting everything to the current protests, “the colored revolution in Serbia has united and strengthened Serbia’s enemies just as much as it has divided and weakened Serbia.”
The Politika article includes numerous radical claims and assessments that (over)exaggerate the current scope of the signed declaration, considering that it is a political act that still needs to be developed in practice, and covers areas where cooperation had already been established. On the other hand, analysts point out that the trilateral document is, in fact, contrary to the spirit (and letter) of international documents regarding Kosovo, while further contributing to the growing distrust in regional relations.
Author: Igor Mirosavljević
