19.10.2010.
CHOD of the Russian Federation visits Serbia
Serbian Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Miloje Miletic, met today with the Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, General Nikolai Makarov, in the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff.- With Russia, as one of our strategic partners we have traditionally friendly relations and we are committed to further development of a comprehensive cooperation – underlined General Miletic welcoming the guests from Russia.
He reminded that in the recent years, the development of mutual military relations between Russia and Serbia have not followed the development of relations in other fields and expressed his hope that this visit will give a new tone to the military cooperation between the two countries and contribute to their stronger connection in the military sphere.
- An interest in promoting bilateral military cooperation we see, first of all, in the traditional friendship of our peoples, which was confirmed throughout history. In addition, the fact is that the Serbian Armed Forces has combat systems and weaponry, primarily in the Air Force and Air Defence, as well as armoured units originating from the territory of Russia, said General Miletic. He said that the need for repairs, maintenance and modernization of these assets refers to cooperation with Russia.According to General Miletic, the main directions of the future cooperation are focused on improving relations in the field of training and education of our officers, especially at the Command Staff and General Staff level of advancement. In addition, our military is interested in training officers on diversion, intelligence and reconnaissance courses as well as emergency response, for which the Russian Federation has an elaborated system of training.
There is also room for cooperation, as SAF Chief of General Staff said, in the joint training of special units in the field of anti-terrorism, intelligence and reconnaissance, parachuting specialties, but also in the exchange of officers in military exercises, as well as for a wide range cooperation activities in the field of military economy and military health.
-The peoples of Russia and Serbia cherish deep historical connections, especially in political, cultural and scientific relations – General Makarov said, adding that the last decade was marked with break in relations between Serbia and Russia, which must be compensated as soon as possible. This situation illustrates the fact that almost ten years have elapsed since the previous visit of the Russian Chief of General Staff.According to General Makarov, the level of our military technical cooperation is underdeveloped and needs to be improved. Joint resolution of the existing problems will contribute to development of relations in the military sphere, which is the reason behind this visit, he said.
During the day, generals Miletic and Makarov are going to discuss the possibilities of promotion of military cooperation between Serbia and the Russian Federation, and it was planned that the Russian delegation visits the Special Brigade of the Serbian Armed Forces.
