The editorial board of the Associated Press in Belgrade tried to mislead the public by claiming that Serbia got that system in a “secret operation this weekend”
Source: Novosti
EPA-EFE/MARKO DJOKOVIC
However, as Reuters reports, Serbia agreed and paid for the Chinese anti-aircraft missile system FK-3 three years ago.
The AP adds, seemingly unprovoked, that the system arrived in Serbia “amid Western concerns that the accumulation of weapons in the Balkans during the war in Ukraine could threaten the fragile peace in the region”.
Can this be regarded as exerting pressure on Serbia?
It seems completely unbelievable that the AP editorial board is indirectly trying to present the procurement of a sophisticated anti-aircraft system as “the weapons buildup that could endanger fragile peace in the region,” the media reported. The main purpose of defensive systems is to ensure peace and security of the Serbian sky. According to “Novosti”, it is impossible to expect peace in the Balkans if Serbia, as a factor of peace and stability in this area, does not have strong control over its skies.
The Associated Press report adds: “Media and military experts said Sunday that six Chinese Air Force Y-20 transport planes landed at Belgrade’s civilian airport early Saturday, reportedly carrying HQ-22 surface-to-air missile systems for the Serbian military. The Chinese cargo planes with military markings were pictured at Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla airport. Serbia’s defence ministry did not immediately respond to AP’s request for comment. The arms delivery over the territory of at least two NATO member states, Turkey and Bulgaria, was seen by experts as a demonstration of China’s growing global reach.”
However, that is not the only illogical statement that can lead an uninformed reader in the wrong direction, this media further states. The agreement on the purchase of the FC-3 system was concluded long before the mentioned conflict in Ukraine, bearing in mind that the conflict between the Kyiv authorities and the Russians in Donbas before the Russian special military operation is certainly not considered.
The Western public was also informed about the agreement through the Reuters agency, and AP is trying to present the two-year-old Reuters news as “new and secret”.
Since it is clear that the procurement of the Chinese air defense system has nothing to do with the “secret weekend operation” and “jeopardizing peace in the Balkans while the war in Ukraine is going”, a clear question arises: What is the background of this text published by AP?
President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vui, has talked several times so far about the pressure on Serbia because our state did not impose sanctions on Russia. More than a month ago, Vui announced that the pressure on Serbia would be greater than ever. Also, Serbia is being blackmailed directly because of its sovereign policy, the president revealed recently.
Strictly speaking – an intelligence war is being waged against Serbia. We remind you that in February, false news was published that the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Nikolai Patrushev, was coming to Belgrade, and “Air Serbia” was exposed to a brutal propaganda war due to a flight on the Belgrade-Moscow airline, while Airbus passenger planes are being followed by NATO fighter jets.
“Novosti” writes that it is clear that this is not about the good intentions of the AP and the concern for peace in the region, this is obvious from the way they conveyed the news that Croatia bought “Rafal” fighter planes. Then they wrote that “Croatia has replaced its obsolete fleet of Soviet-era aircraft and strengthened its air force amid long-standing tensions in the Balkans.”
The only way for Serbia to withstand the pressures is to expose them immediately and in full, this media concludes. When someone does that, as the AP did in its text, the media that do not participate in the propaganda war against Serbia can only point out such examples immediately.
