08.06.2010.
Bileteral Military Cooperation Agreement signed with Croatia
Minister of Defense of Croatia and Serbia Branko Vukelic and Dragan Suitanovac signed a Bilateral Military Cooperation Agreement in Zagreb today which envisions a number of joint activities between the two ministries and armies.Sutanovac and Vukelic expressed their pleasure at the joint press conference by signing this document which will contribute to better cooperation of the two countries and the stability of the whole region.
Stressing the political and professional value of the agreement, Sutanovac remarked that it would enable both armies to improve their cooperation, especially in the field of defense industry.
The professionals on both sides will soon see what they have to change through military cooperation. It is a well known fact that we still have some open issues to solve, and I hope that this agreement will help us cooperate and solve these problems more quickly.
This agreement, as Sutanovac stressed, was a boost to cooperation in the field of defense, reminding the press of the well-established cooperation of the police forces of both countries and the judiciary systems of Serbia and Croatia in curbing crime.
Both countries have vested interest in sharing experiences in peace missions and in the field of military education as well as having joint projects in defense industry.Reminding that Serbia has already inked the agreements on bilateral military cooperation with all Balkan countries, Sutanovac also stated that the defense industries of both countries were compatible, and that “cooperation means joint appearance on third markets”.
Minister of Defense of Serbia believes that cooperation in the area of defense industry is the most important, and added that the Serbian defense industry had made excellent accomplishments in the previous three years.
In his answer to reporters’ questions whether Serbia was planning to take part in a peace mission in Afghanistan, Stanovac responded negatively expressing his expectation, that besides the four UN missions Serbia is taking part in at the moment, it would also start participation in Lebanon and Cyprus by the end of this year.
As Croatia has participated in many peace missions all over the world, Minister said that Serbia would certainly find these experiences valuable.As regards the possibility of deploying military professionals within KFOR, Sutanovac reiterated the position that the number of security forces members should not be decreased.
The Croatian defense minister, Branko Vukelic stated that Croatia had signed this agreement with all the countries in the region, as it represents a good foundation for future cooperation of the two ministries and armies.I do not expect that this inking will be met with any disapproval or criticism, as it represents a step forward to stabilization of the relations between Serbia and Croatia.
In his words, all those nations living in the region are well aware of the fact that stabilization of relations is a precondition of progress and better life of all the citizens in the area.
Vukelic said that the agreement with the military cooperation already established and soon to be improved would significantly contribute to further normalization of relations.
Furthermore, as Defense Minister of Serbia observed expert teams of both countries would establish the best thing to do within the cooperation in defense industry.Since Serbia has been the member of PfP since 2006, Serbia is to open its mission in NATO HQ in Brussels.
The media agencies were very interested in covering this event and the press conference of the two ministers which was attended by a number of foreign media reporters.
Evoking old memories, Sutanovac said that he felt quite safe in Croatia where he had served army duty.
