14.12.2010.

Minister in Bulgaria

Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac talked today in Sofia with the Bulgarian Minister of Defense Anja Angel's about improving cooperation in the defense industry, military medicine and joint training.

After the meeting, Sutanovac told the reporters that he thanked the Bulgarian Minister for the support Bulgaria is giving to Serbia in the European and regional integrations.

Sutanovac reminded that the members of the 250th missile brigade of the Army of Serbia in September performed live shooting at Shabla test site in Bulgaria, adding that the Serbian Army is interested in re-using the services of the shooting grounds, and training grounds for the training of the Bulgarian army in Novo Selo.

Minister has offered Serbian army’s facilities for the training of members of the Bulgarian army, together with members of the Serbian army in a "Jug" base in Bujanovac, and Bulgaria to send its members to study at the Military Academy in Belgrade.

Serbian Defense Minister met during his visit with the Prime Minister of Bulgaria Boyko Borisov and the Speaker of the Parliament Tsetska Tsacheva.

Sutanovac expressed his gratitude to the Bulgarian Prime Minister and Parliament for their strong support that the country is providing to Serbia towards European integration.

After talks with Bulgarian officials, Sutanovac said that cooperation between the two countries in defense was at a very high level, and recalled that in September, at the test site at Shabla near Varna, members of the 250th air defense missile brigade of the Army of Serbia had taken for the first time live shooting in the air after more than twenty years.

He also expressed hope that Serbia and the members of the missile unit would perform live shooting in the Bulgarian army training area next September too.

Sutanovac said that the Bulgarian Minister of Defense Anja Angel talked about cooperation in defense industry, military medicine and education, as well as joint training of military personnel.

He observed there was an interest in the exchange of Bulgarian and Serbian officers in military academies of the two countries, for the training of Bulgarian military doctors at the Military Medical Academy in Belgrade and the training of future peacekeeping mission members from Serbia in the base Jug near Bujanovac, which would be performed by Bulgarian instructors from other countries.

The Minister said that the Bulgarian defense industry is privatized, but there is still a desire to invest capital in joint projects with Serbia that would allow the arms and military equipment to be placed on the markets of other countries.

At a news conference after meeting with Angel, Sutanovac said that the Bulgarian Defense Ministry delegation has been invited to visit Serbia next summer to get familiar with the arms and military equipment "Partner" fair and the capacities of the Serbian defense industry.

Sutanovac added that his Bulgarian colleague has informed him that Bulgaria and its army had donated software for the codification of SAF according to NATO standards.

"It is an extremely important software that Serbia has not had so far, and that allows us to standardize our military to reach the highest standards," he said.
The Minister informed the hosts that the Serbian Army has completed the process of professionalization, and expressed a desire to share experiences on the process of professionalization with the Army of Bulgaria, which was conducted several years ago.

At the beginning of the visit Sutanovac laid a wreath at a monument to the Unknown Soldier.