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France suspends the sale of Rafale fighter jets to Serbia

2024-04-15 10:07:57Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

France suspends the sale of Rafale fighter jets to Serbia

France has suspended the sale of fighter jets just a few days after Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic spoke about an agreement between Serbia and France. From this agreement, Belgrade would buy 12 French Rafale fighter planes.

According to the French Television Network, Dassault Aviation, the French manufacturer of these planes is currently refusing to discuss a possible sale of the planes to Serbia.

The purchase of the planes costs 3 billion euros, but France intends to get confirmation on political developments in Serbia before sealing the purchase.

While it is said that Serbia is increasing the purchase of weapons, be they European, Chinese or Russian, and that in ten years, the Serbian military budget has tripled. From 2012 to 2023, the Serbian military budget tripled, reaching 1.4 billion euros. A value which is more than the combined budgets of five other Balkan countries.

Between 2014 and 2023, Serbia has spent 2.67 billion euros on weapons purchases, in particular to buy the Chinese FK-3 anti-aircraft system, the Russian Mi-17 and Mi-35 helicopters, as well as the Russian Pantsir air defense system.

Closeness to Russia

However, the proximity of the Serbian head of state to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin poses a problem for Paris. While Serbia has condemned Russian aggression in Ukraine, it has not aligned itself with Western sanctions.

At the end of March, the Serbian Foreign Minister, Ivica Dacic, visited Moscow, an opportunity according to Serbian diplomacy to improve "traditionally friendly relations between Serbia and Russia".

After all, purchases from Russia and China have not stopped since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In February, the Serbian president proudly presented his latest purchases: Russian Repellents, an anti-drone system, as well as Chinese drones . He further promised that an explosive drone made in Serbia would be in production by the end of 2024.

"The Republic of Serbia buys weapons and military equipment from the East and the West," the Serbian Ministry of Defense said in March in response to one of AFP's questions about its purchases from Russia and China.

A "funny" potential sale

Although for some time France has been committed to intensifying its defense cooperation with Serbia. A bilateral agreement on defense cooperation has existed since 2011 and was revived in 2019. A cooperation that is not to everyone's taste.

"It would be ridiculous for Paris, on the one hand, to mention sending troops to Ukraine and on the other hand to sell an extremely sophisticated weapon to one of Russia's closest allies," says Jasmin, a political science researcher.

Selling the Rafale to this Moscow ally "would be worrisome because it would allow information to flow into China and Russia," he says.

Serbia's eyes are fixed on Kosovo

According to the Serbian Defense White Paper, published in 2023, Belgrade's "biggest security challenge" is across the border, Kosovo, a former province that became independent at the end of a bloody war - 13,000 dead.

One of the required conditions, the French president also mentioned the need to ease tensions in relations with Kosovo.

However, if the Rafale sale goes through, "you may see French warplanes used to intimidate Kosovo, these planes could be used against neighboring countries," says Jasmin Mujanovic.

The aircraft, which entered service in 2004 and is intended to fly until the 2060s, is the spearhead of the French defense industry's export. Seven countries have Rafales or have entered into commercial agreements to acquire them: Egypt, Qatar, India, Greece, Indonesia, the United Arab Emirates and Croatia.


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