10.11.2010.
Minister on 1 million USD aid granted by the USA
On occasion of the announced US 1 million USD worth of aid to the Serbian defense system, Minister of DEFENSE Dragan Sutanovac stated in the Second News Daily Review that 900.000 USD would be spent for education and courses of MoD/SAF representatives, while the rest will be used for the technical equipment, that is, what MoD will get through FMS (Foreign Military Sales) programs from the United States of America.- It has now become a sort of a traditional aid and we expect certain funds to be deifned for certain military infrastructural works as well as the funds within the humanitarian assistance, as was the case with Paranjani, where a project is being developed for the next year.
Answering the reporters’ questions regarding the start of the negotiation process between Belgrade and Pristina, the defense minister of Serbia stressed that it was in both sides’ interest to start the negotiations, as well as in the best interest of the international community.
- We believe that there is no valid reason to wait and that there are great problems that need solutions in this region, too. Furthermore,e we believe that the initial negotiations should start off at a lower level, without the presence of the media, with the support of the EU, where the USA are also called on to give their support, thus infusing us with a positive energy necessary for the start of these negotiations.
As regards his participation in the second Security Forum in Halifax, Canada, Sutanovac underlined that this was a very significant convention, the most important in the security domain after the Munich and Brussels forums, and is of the paramount importance for the South Eastern Europe region.
- We had an opportunity to speak with the defense ministers of various countries-Albania, Denmark, and Canada, as well as the Foreign affairs Minister of Montenegro, and the Under Secreatry of the US Department for Defense and the Undersecretary of the German Defense Ministry. We hope to start an even more intensive cooperation with these countries in the future, to sign a military cooperation agreement with Albania, thus encircling the signing of cooperation agreements with the whole SEE region.
Sutanovac was a guest at the Open studio show of the VOA (Voice of America) channel and he answered the reporters’ questions regarding the cooperation of Serbia and the USA, especially of the Ohio National Guard with SAF, Minister stated that during the visit of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, both sides agreed that the cooperation in the military domain yields best results in comparison to other domains of cooperation, and we take great pride in that. We consider ourselves to be a pillar of the general US-Serbian cooperation, of political and other forms of cooperation and we are especially proud of our excellent work with the Ohio National Guard.Regarding the possibility of applying for candidacy to the NATo any time sooner, as well as the start of the debate, Minister Sutanovac responded that the ministry was working by abiding the parliament’s decision on the state’s neutrality.
-We strive to get all the benefits from the Partnership for Peace Program and the decision of our assembly on military neutrality of Serbia. A few months ago we finally sent our officers and NCOs into Brussels, to the NATO HQ where we opened our office, thus trying to use all the instruments that this project has to offer. There is an ongoing debate in Serbia, which is sometimes fueled sometimes less fuelled, but I think that at this moment in time it Is not advisable to think about the possibility of joining NATO, however, it is important that the Serbian citizens should bear in mind what NATO is, and that should try to learn what kind of an alliance it is, a military, military-geographical or military-political alliance.
- Whether we like it or not, all neighboring countries are a part of the NATO, or are in the process of entering the NATO, so we will have to cooperate with them if we wish to ensure that the region is safe, as the minister said in an Open Studio show on the Voice of America.
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