Serbia’s new national holiday triggers unease in Balkans

Flexing of muscles by Serbian officials fuels worries in the neighbouring states.

Serbia kicked off a new national holiday with a display of military power and calls for all Serbs in the Balkans to unite under one flag, triggering unease among its neighbours decades after similar calls led to the bloody wars in the 1990s.

Serbs were told to display thousands of red, blue and white national flags on Wednesday, whether they live in the region or the world, to mark “The Day of Serb Unity, Freedom and the National Flag”.

Opening the full day of celebrations, Serbia’s populist President Aleksandar Vucic inspected military hardware displayed in a Belgrade park, praising the army’s readiness to respond to outside threats.