Tuesday, May 27, 2025
Nordic Monitor
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Extremism
  • Military
  • Terrorism and Crime
  • Intelligence
  • Foreign Policy
  • Contact Us
    • Give us a tip!
  • About Us
  • Home
  • Extremism
  • Military
  • Terrorism and Crime
  • Intelligence
  • Foreign Policy
  • Contact Us
    • Give us a tip!
  • About Us
No Result
View All Result
Nordic Monitor
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Extremism
  • Military
  • Terrorism and Crime
  • Intelligence
  • Foreign Policy
  • Contact Us
  • About Us

Serbia to be ‘surrounded’ by Turkish drones following Ankara’s sale to Bosnia

September 17, 2024
A A
President Aliyev praises performance of Turkish armed drones against Armenia

Turkey's armed drone Bayraktar TB2.

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Levent Kenez/Stockholm

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Ministry of Defense is negotiating the purchase of six Bayraktar unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) from Turkish defense contractor Baykar, Bosnian and Turkish media reported last week. According to reports quoting Bosnian Defense Minister Zukan Helez, two teams are already in Turkey for training, and the purchase will include three ground command systems as well.

The news coincided with the visit of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Presidential Council chairman, Denis Bećirović, to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Saturday. During a press conference following their meeting, Erdogan said cooperation in the military and security fields was a key topic of discussion. He emphasized that they particularly focused on ways to enhance collaboration in the defense industry.

If the sale goes through, Bosnia and Herzegovina will become the fourth country in the Balkans to use Turkish military drones. Romania, Kosovo and Albania had previously incorporated Bayraktar TB2 UAVs into their military inventories.

Serbia has expressed its unhappiness with Turkey’s sale of Bayraktar drones to Balkan countries. While Serbia had initially planned to purchase Bayraktar UAVs from Turkey, it announced in 2023 that it had abandoned the plan, although Turkish media reported that Turkey had refused to sell the drones to Serbia. However, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić had stated in 2022 that Erdogan had promised to sell Bayraktar drones to Serbia. Serbia later explained that it had decided not to proceed with the purchase in protest of Turkey’s sale of Bayraktar UAVs to its contentious neighbor, Kosovo.

Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008 without universal recognition, reportedly aims to establish a military force consisting of 5,000 regular soldiers and 3,000 reservists. This force would complement the existing 4,500 NATO peacekeepers in the country.

Since 2020 Serbia has been using Chinese-made CH-92A armed drones.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić (L) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Budapest on August 20, 2023

However, there was a close dialogue between Turkey and Serbia several years ago. In 2019 Turkey and Serbia signed a military framework agreement, which Serbia ratified in 2020 and Turkey approved in 2022. The agreement, allowing for joint military exercises and training, was defended by Turkish officials as being more comprehensive than a previous deal from 2004. It is possible that the Erdogan government postponed or canceled the sale of UAVs to Serbia due to concerns that the opposition might use it against them during the elections in 2023.  

However, Turkey’s sale of drones to Kosovo led to a deterioration in its relations with Serbia. The move heightened tensions as Serbia viewed the sale as a challenge to its interests in the region.

On July 16, 2023 Kosovar Prime Minister Albin Kurti announced that the Bayraktar TB2 drones purchased from Turkey had arrived in the country. Kurti shared a photo of the Bayraktar TB2 on his social media account, captioning it, “Kosovo is now even more secure.” While Kurti did not disclose the number of drones acquired, Turkish media reported that Kosovo had purchased five and that military personnel had previously undergone training for their use.

Additionally, Turkey and Kosovo signed a military framework agreement on January 29, 2024. The agreement focuses on enhancing military cooperation, including increased arms sales, joint military exercises and the training of military personnel. It also involves sharing military intelligence, logistical support and resources, either as grants or through payment, while ensuring the protection of classified information and property rights.

Serbian President Vučić recently told journalists following the “Fire Attack 2024” military exercise conducted by the Serbian army that Bayraktar TB2 UAVs, which Kosovo acquired last year, flew near Serbia on June 5 and 20. He alleged that these UAVs were used to monitor Serbian military capabilities and said, “We observed them closely; at another time, they would not have remained in the air for long.”

Vučić also mentioned that the flights occurred in an area under the control of NATO’s Peacekeeping Force in Kosovo (KFOR) and said Serbia respects KFOR’s control. Despite this, he claimed that the UAVs’ presence was intended to broadly monitor Serbia’s military capabilities but did not pose a direct security threat.

In response, Kosovar Defense Minister Ejup Maqedonci denied the allegations, stating that Vučić’s claims were unfounded.

Selçuk Bayraktar (L) and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

As a side note, Selçuk Bayraktar, one of the owners of Baykar, the company that manufactures Bayraktar drones, is Erdogan’s son-in-law. Erdogan views Baykar as a family business and markets its products in many countries, especially in Africa. It is well known that Erdogan, his family members and his business associates benefit significantly from the defense industry and military equipment sales. Baykar leverages state resources and earns substantial profits in both local and international markets through weapons sales, for which Erdogan is the sole decision-maker. One key reason for choosing Turkish drones is that Turkey has a shorter export approval process compared to the US and the European Union. Selçuk Bayraktar and his brother Haluk recently appeared on Forbes’ latest billionaire list.

In August Selçuk Bayraktar shared posts on social media about a visit to Bosnia with his family.

ShareTweet
Previous Post

Turkish swindler Sezgin Baran Korkmaz recounts how he befriended a former CIA director

Next Post

Erdogan’s controversial appointment shakes up Turkish Ministry of Defense

Levent Kenez

Levent Kenez

[email protected]

Next Post
Erdogan’s controversial appointment shakes up Turkish Ministry of Defense

Erdogan's controversial appointment shakes up Turkish Ministry of Defense

Turkey sounds alarm over declining birth rates amid economic concerns

Turkey sounds alarm over declining birth rates amid economic concerns

May 27, 2025
Turkish journalist in Sweden faces fresh indictment and trial in Turkey over published article

Sweden-Turkey intelligence swap reportedly targeted Nordic Monitor and its editor

May 26, 2025
Erdogan ally calls for mass killing of Zionists, declares ‘humanity has no other choice’

Erdogan ally calls for mass killing of Zionists, declares ‘humanity has no other choice’

May 23, 2025
Killer of Turkish Armenian journalist openly embraced by Erdogan gov’t after early release

Killer of Turkish Armenian journalist openly embraced by Erdogan gov’t after early release

May 22, 2025
Turkish military hierarchy at risk as Erdogan seeks new powers

Turkish military hierarchy at risk as Erdogan seeks new powers

May 21, 2025
Turkey approved concessions to Russia on $20 bln nuclear power plant amid sanctions, Ukraine-Russia war

Turkey pays more for energy while Russia holds keys to nuclear plant

May 20, 2025
Hundreds of organized crime syndicates have flourished in Turkey on Erdogan’s watch

Hundreds of organized crime syndicates have flourished in Turkey on Erdogan’s watch

May 19, 2025
Google, YouTube accused of censoring Erdogan critics

Google’s algorithm changes and YouTube censorship deepen suppression of Erdogan critics

May 16, 2025
Erdogan’s neo-nationalist allies escalate their campaign against Greek Orthodox Patriarchate and the Vatican

Erdogan’s neo-nationalist allies escalate their campaign against Greek Orthodox Patriarchate and the Vatican

May 15, 2025
Yet another Iranian crime boss acquired Turkish citizenship, murder case reveals

Yet another Iranian crime boss acquired Turkish citizenship, murder case reveals

May 14, 2025

Nordic Monitor

Nordic Monitor is a news web site and tracking site that is run by the Stockholm-based Nordic Research and Monitoring Network. It covers religious, ideological and ethnic extremist movements and radical groups, with a special focus on Turkey.

Tags

al-Qaeda Andrei Karlov China coup Cyprus Diyanet Egypt espionage Germany Greece Gülen Movement Hakan Fidan Hamas Hulusi Akar Ibrahim Kalın IHH Iran IRGC Quds Force ISIL ISIS Isis al-qaida Israel Libya Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu Milli İstihbarat Teşkilatı MIT Muslim Brotherhood NATO President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Profiling Qatar Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Russia SADAT spying Spying Activities Suleyman Soylu Sweden Syria Torture Turkey Turkish Intelligence Agency Turkish intelligence agency MIT Ukraine United States

Recent News

Turkey sounds alarm over declining birth rates amid economic concerns

Turkey sounds alarm over declining birth rates amid economic concerns

May 27, 2025
Turkish journalist in Sweden faces fresh indictment and trial in Turkey over published article

Sweden-Turkey intelligence swap reportedly targeted Nordic Monitor and its editor

May 26, 2025
Erdogan ally calls for mass killing of Zionists, declares ‘humanity has no other choice’

Erdogan ally calls for mass killing of Zionists, declares ‘humanity has no other choice’

May 23, 2025

Copyright © Nordic Research and Monitoring Network All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Extremism
  • Military
  • Terrorism and Crime
  • Intelligence
  • Foreign Policy
  • Contact Us
    • Give us a tip!
  • About Us

Copyright © Nordic Research and Monitoring Network All rights reserved.