Ministry of defence Republic of Serbia
 
03.03.2014.

Meeting of the ministers of defence of Serbia and Croatia



Nebojsa Rodic, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Serbia, who is in a two-day working visit to the Republic of Croatia, have met today with Ante Kotromanovic, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Croatia.

The ministers discussed the previous bilateral defence cooperation between the two countries as well as the possibility of expanding cooperation in defence and security. The two ministers agreed that the defence cooperation between the two countries is on the rise, as evidenced by a number of already initiated and organized activities. As an example of the intensification of cooperation, they pointed out conducting of a bilateral military exercise "Joint Response 14" which is to be held for the first time this year.

In the context of intensifying cooperation, continued exchange of students at the highest level of officers' education (War College and Advanced Security and Defence Studies) was also agreed upon, as well as possible establishing of a more meaningful cooperation in the field of military medicine and education. They supported the possibility of further promotion of cooperation in training and professional development through the involvement of students also in other forms of military education and training as well as through the exchange of lecturers.

Continued regular meetings at the level of the two ministries and the armed forces have also been agreed through holding consultations in the field of defence policy and cooperation in the field of material resources. The possibilities of cooperation between special units and continued exchange of experiences of participation in peacekeeping operations have also been discussed. They encouraged the establishment of more intensive cooperation in the military-technical field.

A significant part of the talks between the two ministers was devoted to the issue of handover of property-rights and technical documentation of the military real estates in the republic of Croatia that were under the jurisdiction of the former JNA and the Federal Secretariat for National Defence (SSNO) . Minister Kotromanovic thanked once again to Minister Rodic for aerial photographs (the material includes approximately 38,500 images) from 1968 that were handed over and that will facilitate the process of legalization of all facilities in the Republic of Croatia, which is underway. The mentioned material was handed over during the recent meeting between the Deputy Prime Ministers of Croatia and Serbia Vesna Pusic and Aleksandar Vucic.

Ministers Rodic and Kotromanovic agreed on delivery of property-rights documentation of military real estates of the former JNA in the territory of the Republic of Croatia. They agreed on the modalities and dynamics of handing over the said documents which are primarily related to documentation related to the Air Force and Navy facilities of the former JNA (air and naval bases).

Special attention was paid to the process of European integration. Minister Kotromanovic pointed out that, in order to build a sustainable security in the region, it is in the interest of Croatia that Serbia achieves full integration just like the other countries in the region, while respecting national specificities. He pointed out that the republic of Croatia can help with its experiences. It was also agreed that Croatia shares its experiences of participation in the European Union Common Security and Defence Policy.

Minister Rodic thanked for the support that the Republic of Croatia gave to the Republic of Serbia in the EU accession process so far.

Both sides agreed that the continued dialogue at a high level, both bilaterally and multilaterally, is a concrete contribution to stability, good cooperation between the countries in the region and the development of bilateral relations between the two countries.


 
MOD
Ministry of defence Republic of Serbia, Bircaninova 5 street, Belgrade
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