O KOPNENOJ ZONI BEZBEDNOSTI

The Ground Safety Zone (GSZ) was established following the signing of the Military-Technical Agreement in Kumanovo on June 9, 1999, with the aim of ending NATO-s aggression against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The GSZ was defined as a buffer zone 5 km wide along the administrative boundary of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija, with a special security regime that entailed demilitarization and the presence of only local police forces. Due to the resulting security vacuum, terrorist activities by Albanian extremists emerged, including the formation of the “Liberation Army of Preševo, Medveđa, and Bujanovac“ (“UÇPMB”). Between 1999 and 2001, over 600 terrorist attacks were recorded, resulting in a significant number of casualties and displaced persons. The state›s response led to the gradual relaxation of the GSZ and the return of Serbian security forces during the spring of 2001. Research conducted by the Geographical Institute of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts (SANU) since 2006 indicates long-term geospatial effects of compromised security, which extend beyond the formal boundaries of the GSZ. The analysis covers 11 municipalities in central Serbia and 9 municipalities within the territory of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija, along a total administrative boundary length of 382 km. The study highlights the importance of security as a factor in spatial structuring and the need for long-term monitoring.