Tensions were running high recently between foes Serbia and Kosovo. A series of incidents and clashes involving the two nations, the most recent being in late September, raised the specter of a looming crisis as the sides exchanged strong words. Amid it all, Türkiye took command of NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR) on Oct. 9, when Maj. Gen. Özkan Ulutaş formally assumed charge at a ceremony at the headquarters in Pristina, Kosovo’s capital.

That power transfer came as Türkiye and Serbia continued to develop relations in defense and military, with a shared objective of peace and stability in the Balkans. Türkiye is also among the countries that formally recognize Kosovo since it gained independence from Serbia in 2008. Belgrade has never recognized Kosovo and still claims it as its own territory.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA), Nemanja Starovic, state secretary of Serbia’s Defense Ministry, said, "Though Belgrade and Ankara disagree over Kosovo’s independence; they remain focused on preserving peace and stability through dialogue."

"We have a different outlook on an issue that is most important to us and relates to our territorial integrity," he added.

"Yet what is connecting us right now is our joint wish to preserve peace and stability throughout the Western Balkans," Starovic said, emphasizing that Serbia appreciates Türkiye’s role as the current KFOR commander.

"What we had accomplished in our previous talks with both Maj. Gen. Ulutaş and Defense Minister Yaşar Güler was to identify common goals and common interests and to acknowledge that Türkiye will really do everything in its capacity ... to preserve peace and stability. Serbia highly appreciates that fact," he also said, pointing out that Belgrade is "very hopeful ... that we will see more security for Serbs living in Kosovo on the ground since Turkish troops are on the field."

"We have been assured by both Maj. Gen. Ulutaş and Minister Güler that the Turkish contingent within the KFOR mission will perform some outreach to local communities to provide them with basic services that they are lacking right now," Starovic said.

Among the 27 NATO member countries and partners, Türkiye has the second-largest contingent in KFOR, contributing 780 of its approximately 4,500 soldiers. "Türkiye is the largest country of the Balkans and Serbia with its central position in the region ... we understand that there is a common interest and there is great importance in cooperation and jointly working to keep calm in the region," he said. "We understand that is most important for Ankara and Belgrade. That provides a perfect and solid base for further improvement of relations in security and defense."

According to Starovic, the two countries have "concrete plans" for enhancing defense ties.

He said the two sides had "very frank and very open" discussions during Güler’s late October visit, including talks on "intentions to purchase some highly sophisticated military equipment from Türkiye, as well as Türkiye’s desire to purchase some of the military material produced in Serbia."

‘Superpower’ Türkiye

Perko Matovic, director of the Center for National Policy in Serbia, also spoke highly of Türkiye’s ability to ensure stability in the Balkans, as well as the potential for stronger ties between Ankara and Belgrade.

He pointed out that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was one of the first leaders to call President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to offer support on the night of the defeated July 2016 coup attempt.

"Erdoğan is a strong leader who defended his country against the coup attempt. After that, Serbia and Türkiye started furthering relations. Normally, political stability and cultural relations are followed by defense relations," he said.

He said Türkiye’s KFOR command is "very good for both Serbia and Serbs living in Kosovo." "We are very, very happy that there is Turkish command and Turkish soldiers who are professionals. We are expecting professionalism. We are expecting balanced sense and stability and security for our citizens," he said.

Matovic also emphasized that he does not recognize Türkiye as a regional power but as "an international superpower." "Türkiye is very, very capable of influencing many world affairs. President Erdoğan is responsible for that at this point. We can learn a lot from Türkiye," he said. In the Balkans, Türkiye is a critical stabilizing factor, particularly because it has a balanced stance, he added.

"As far as the Kosovo issue is concerned, we differ with Türkiye, but regardless of those differences, Türkiye was one of the rare international powers who, even though it has a strong stance about Kosovo’s independence, was very, very balanced," said Matovic. "Türkiye never favored one position. Türkiye always considered our opinion and that’s why we are very grateful to Türkiye."

He asserted that differences over Kosovo will not deter Ankara and Belgrade from further developing bilateral relations.

"Serbia and Türkiye will be able, through economic and political stability, to overcome the differences, and maybe in a few years, we will have much more aligned interests even in our foreign policies," said the analyst. "Serbia’s military neutrality opens opportunities with Türkiye to develop relations in every field."

In Turkish Ambassador Hami Aksoy’s view, relations between the two countries are in a golden age, with cooperation in every field.

"Our relations with Serbia have reached the highest level in the past 10 years," he told AA. "We receive great support from Serbia in our fight against the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ). Serbia is the only country in the Balkans that unconditionally supports us against FETÖ," said Aksoy.

The ambassador also emphasized Türkiye’s strong historical ties to the Balkans, stressing that it is "impossible to think of the region without Türkiye."