Serbia recently announced that it will replace its fleet of Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets with 12 Dassault Aviation Rafale fighter aircraft. This move signals a tectonic shift in Serbian policy.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced the contract for nine single-seater Rafales and three two-seaters, valued at €2.7 billion (US$3 billion). Speaking at a press conference, the Serbian president said the purchase price includes an auxiliary logistics package, spare engines, and parts.
The announcement was made during a joint news conference in Belgrade with French President Emmanuel Macron, who was visiting Serbia for a two-day visit. Macron described the agreement as “historic and important ” and praised Serbia’s “strategic courage.”
The Serbian Armed Forces have traditionally relied on Russian military equipment. In fact, Rafale is the first Western-origin fighter jet purchased by the Balkan country. The agreement has triggered concerns among NATO members about France selling an advanced aircraft to a non-NATO country that shares close ties with Russia and China.
When asked if there were any limitations on Serbia’s ability to share Rafale technology with its partner Russia or on the use of the military hardware in the Balkan region, Macron responded, “There are full guarantees like any defense agreement,” without providing any details. He said Dassault Aviation normally takes all reasonable steps to safeguard French know-how and intellectual property.
#DassaultAviation : La Serbie fait l’acquisition de 12 Rafalehttps://t.co/LBiKW07IHO
Serbia acquires 12 Rafale fightershttps://t.co/Ssn03tJX2W pic.twitter.com/NUNJco8YBx— Dassault Aviation (@Dassault_OnAir) August 29, 2024
Macron also called for confidence in the French defense ministry and the company, stating that they “have done everything to the highest standards, just as we have done in all the countries where similar contracts have been signed.”
An editorial published in the French daily Le Monde said that Paris should monitor the Rafales delivered to Serbia to prevent any information leaks to Russia.
The French President has, nonetheless, positioned the agreement as an effort to bring Serbia closer to the NATO fold.
“The European Union needs a strong and democratic Serbia at its side, and Serbia needs a strong, sovereign Europe to defend its interests,” Macron said. ″Serbia’s place is in the EU, and it has a role to play to be an example for all the region,” the French President said.
For his part, Vucic downplayed concerns from Western countries that Serbia would give technology to Russia due to the Balkan nation’s longstanding close connections to Moscow. He said, “For the first time in history, Serbia has Western jets. “You wish to have Serbia as a partner, and then you voice suspicions?
Last year, Serbia purchased the C-295, a new-generation tactical airlifter designed to carry military cargo, troops, and light military vehicles, from another Western country, Spain. Serbia has been considering the purchase of the Rafale fighter jet ever since its neighbor Croatia purchased 12 second-hand Rafale fighter jets two years ago.
The purchase comes as the Balkan country is looking to modernize its Air Force, which is primarily composed of obsolete Yugoslav combat aircraft and Soviet-era MiG-29 fighters.
The purchase represents a seismic shift in Serbia’s foreign policy as it gradually moves away from Russia and toward the NATO camp, even though it fiercely disagrees with the West’s support of Kosovo’s right to independence.
Serbia’s Seismic Shift Towards The West
Serbia has struggled against international recognition of Kosovo and its membership in international organizations since Kosovo unilaterally declared independence in 2008 after a bloody conflict. Serbia has rejected Kosovo’s independence and considers it a renegade province. However, the United States and Europe unconditionally support Kosovo’s independence.
Interestingly, the country also shot down a US stealth fighter using a Russian-origin missile.
In 1999, an armed confrontation between Albanian separatists from the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and the Serbian army led to the bombing of what was then the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, consisting of Serbia and Montenegro, by NATO forces.
Motivated by accusations from Western countries that the Yugoslav authorities were ethnically cleansing Kosovo Albanians, the operation was conducted without the approval of the UN Security Council. NATO bombings that occurred between March 24 and June 10, 1999, claimed the lives of about 2,500 people, including 87 children.
While the operation was spearheaded by the United States, several other jets from NATO countries participated. Serbia’s purchase of a French Dassault Aviation aircraft is almost ironic, given that Dassault Aviation’s fighter jets participated in the worst bombing campaign against the Balkan country.
The French Navy and Air Force operated the Super Etendard and the Mirage 2000, which has been succeeded by Rafales in the French Air Force now.
In contrast, the Yugoslav forces operated the MiG-29 and other Soviet fighters, which they are now replacing with the French Rafales.
About 25 years later, the memories of the NATO bombing operation known as “Operation Allied Forces” are still vivid. Serbia’s shift in policy and the resultant purchase of Western fighter jets hint at a new way forward.
Unlike NATO, Russia supports Serbia’s sovereignty over Kosovo. There is overwhelming support for Russia in Serbia, which has made Serbian President Vucic move cautiously. Fearful of losing popular support, Vucic is attempting to strike a delicate balance between Serbia’s longstanding cultural and religious ties with Russia and its desire to join the European Union.
On March 24, the 25th anniversary of NATO’s bombing of Yugoslavia, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said, ”They (NATO) wanted to destroy our homeland, to destroy Serbia and dismember it, but they failed.” He also noted, “Twenty-five years have passed, and we remain unbroken… We will never consent to the dismemberment of Serbia! Kosovo and Metohija shall never willingly be torn from us.”
Marking the 25 years of the NATO operation, Vucic said, rather emphatically, that Serbia will not join NATO or give up the provinces of Kosovo and Metohija. Prior to that, the President had threatened to withdraw his nation’s membership in the Council of Europe should Kosovo, a former territory of Serbia, be admitted as a member.
Serbia’s purchase of NATO fighters comes even as tensions persist with Kosovo, which has the West’s backing. In September last year, when fighting erupted in Kosovo’s north, Belgrade responded by intensifying military exercises along its border with its neighbor.
Last fall, Kosovo accused Serbia of trying to annex its northern region.
The West has been playing its cards well. In March, the European Union brokered a deal between Serbia and Kosovo to enforce tentative peace. In a low-key manner, the West is working to strengthen trade relations with Serbia, reduce its dependency on Russian energy, and ease tensions with Kosovo.
The French President’s approval of Rafale’s sale to Serbia is based on the premise that it will pull Serbia closer into the European fold and bring stability to the Balkan region.
Serbia has so far not soured its ties with Russia as it seeks closer alignment with the West. Despite being a prospective EU member, Serbia does not impose the sanctions that the EU placed on Moscow following the invasion of Ukraine. In fact, Air Serbia keeps operating flights to Moscow, unlike carriers from the EU. Additionally, China and Russia have supplied air defense batteries and combat helicopters to Belgrade.
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