16.12.2013.

Ministers of Defence of Serbia and Italy meet

The Minister of Defence of the Republic of Serbia Nebojsa Rodic met today with the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Italy Mario Mauro .

The two Ministers agreed that cooperation in the field of defense is well-developed and constantly improving. The proof of good cooperation is best seen in the Agreement on Defense Cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Italy who are ministers signed today , which will contribute to the qualitative and quantitative improvement of bilateral military cooperation . The main fields of cooperation are education and training , the training of special units , the area of intelligence and reconnaissance operations and training teams for the disposal of unexploded ordnance.

Minister Rodic expressed his satisfaction with the visit of the Italian Minister of Defence of Serbia for the day when there is good news from the European Union .

Minister Mauro is a proven friend of our country. He has always given valuable suggestions when it comes to the functioning of the defense. We need friends like these , as minister Rodic remarked.

Italy's defense minister emphasized the importance of this day for Serbia . He welcomed the decision by the EU High Representative Catherine Ashton to send an official invitation for negotiations between Serbia and the European Union .

- Italy has always considered Serbia to be part of Europe. I thank Minister Rodic for all the efforts invested in relation to European integration, and let me remind you that as of 2014 Italy will be chairing the European Union , and I expect that we will continue the process of European integration, as Minister Mauro stressed adding that today the signing of the agreement was significant , because the former was signed between Italy and the former state of Serbia and Montenegro.

During the meeting it was agreed that the military education cooperation between Serbia and Italy isa well developed. Since 2005, 59 members of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces have been educated and trained in military educational institutions of the Republic of Italy and all of our cadets were the best among foreign cadets and above average compared to other cadets. The Ministry of Defense is interested in the following school year send members of the staff college at the Center of Superior Studies of Defense in Rome, training courses for teams to remove unexploded ordnance and training in the field of civil- military cooperation . Also, the Ministry of Defense offers training at all levels of education for members of the armed forces of Italy .

Ministers Rodic and Mauro talked about improving military medical cooperation through exchange and training of military doctors , as well as the establishment of cooperation between the Centre NBC in Krusevac and the interdepratmental school of chemical, biological , radiological and nuclear protection of the armed forces of Italy . The Ministry of Defence of Serbia is particularly grateful for the longstanding offer to the Italian side and the possibility that members of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Army learn Italian language at the Italian Cultural Centre in Belgrade.

Rodic and Mauro emphasized the need to intensify military economic cooperation between the two countries. We discussed the signing of a military-technical cooperation , as well as the bilateral agreement on codification , which will create conditions for our country to be admitted to a higher level membership sponsored NATO Codification Committee. The ministers also discussed possible joint efforts in fighting groups of the European Union , as well as the joint engagement of the armed forces of the two countries in multinational operations.

In March 2014 it is planned for bilateral defense consultations to be held in Rome, when existing cooperation in the areas where it is possible to improve cooperation will be analyzed and discussed .

Rodic and Mauro assessed that the Summit of the Serbian and Italian is a qualitative continuation of bilateral cooperation and dialogue at the highest level. Minister Rodic expressed his gratitude for the support of Italy's European integration of our country, as well as the professional engagement of the armed forces of Italy in KFOR.