Serbia moves to bring back conscription

Belgrade abolished compulsory military service in 2010

The government of Serbia has agreed to reintroduce conscription, which was abolished 14 years ago. 

After a meeting on Friday, the government formed a working group tasked with “reviewing activities and measures” aimed at bringing back 75-day compulsory military service for men. Women would continue to be allowed to serve on a voluntary basis. 

The reform will help modernize the Balkan country’s armed forces and strengthen its defenses against potential aggression, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said at a military ceremony in Batajnica. 

The decision to reinstate conscription comes amid increasing tensions between Belgrade and its breakaway region of Kosovo, where local Serbs have been protesting against the Albanian-led government. Last week, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin warned against a potential escalation and said Belgrade would not stand by “when violence is used against Serbs.”

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Serbia is not a member of NATO, but maintains working relations with the US-led bloc despite the 1999 bombing campaign carried out by NATO in support of an ethnic Albanian separatist insurgency in Kosovo. 

Officials in Belgrade have stressed that the nation will continue to maintain “military neutrality” in the face of the Ukraine conflict and tensions between NATO and Russia. Serbia also vowed not to abandon its historical friendly ties with Russia and refused to take part in the Western sanctions on Moscow.