31.10.2013.
Cooperation between Serbia and the United Kingdom
Assistant Minister for Defence Policy Miroslav Jovanovic received today the Director General for Security Policy in the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom, Tom McCain. On that occasion, Jovanovic thanked for the good organization of the third interdepartmental talks in London, held in mid-October, and assessed that the new meeting was an opportunity to confirm the agreements reached, in order to start with the development of concrete activities of cooperation in the next two years. He pointed out that the improvement of relations through dialogue, identifying areas and modalities of future cooperation are the priorities in the future period.Serbia's participation in the Partnership for Peace Programme and the contribution to the peacekeeping operations in the world is regarded by the United Kingdom as an important contribution and confirmation of the commitment of Serbia to the European integration. The UK is ready to help Serbia for the purpose of joint work for the interest of the security of the entire region.
The Assistant Minister praised the assistance provided by the British side to the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Serbia in defence reform and the achieving of the interoperability level and thanked the British side for taking a leading role in the new NATO Trust Fund for the Republic of Serbia. Jovanovic proposed observing the possibilities for possible joint involvement in the EU Battle Groups, participation in peacekeeping operations and cooperation in the area of defence technology and industry, and pointed out that the return visit by the Minister of Defence of the United Kingdom is strategically important for further cooperation in the defence field.
It was stated that, in addition to regular interdepartmental discussions, new areas of cooperation the establishment of which is expected in the period to come represent confirmation of a high level of understanding between the two countries.
