27.03.2011.

Minister at the sixth Brussels Forum

In the period from 25 to 27 March, Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac took part in the work of the sixth Brussels Forum, an annual gathering of the most influential American and European politicians, businessmen and experts in international political, economic and security issues.

This year 400 participants took part in the Forum, including many Heads of State or Government, Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence, distinguished businessmen, professors and members of national parliaments, as well as members of the European Parliament. They discussed the issues that have impact on Europe, USA, as well as on global relations. The delegation of the Republic of Serbia, including Minister Sutanovac, was headed by President of Serbia Boris Tadic.

Minister Sutanovac participated on a panel which focused on issues of conflict, corruption and organized crime, as the only participant from the region.

Besides him, Sir Stuart Eldon, senior vice president for defense and security of Transparency International, and Irakli Alasanija, President of Free Democratic Party of Georgia also spoke at the panel.

After presenting the methods and instruments that the Government of Serbia and the system of independent bodies in Serbia use to fight corruption, Sutanovac spoke of the control and inspection system that exists in the Ministry of Defence. He stressed that the defense system, in addition to internal auditors in the Ministry, as well as Inspector General, subject to the control of the State Audit Institution.

This system of control of budget expenditure and monitoring of public procurement was necessary to try to avoid situations that existed in earlier periods which had led the Ministry and the Army of Serbia led into disrepute. Among other successes, thanks to this system and its ability to prevent corruption, the Serbian Armed Forces are still a state institution in which all citizens of Serbia trust the most.

In his opening speech, Minister Sutanovac place the fight against corruption in the context of the fighting organized crime and stressed the importance of regional cooperation and exchange of information, which is the only successful way of response to this challenge to human security.

Other panelists were particularly interested in the mechanisms and responsibilities of the anti-corruption activities, its independence and instruments to protect the independence and the political will to combat systemic corruption.

Sutanovac emphasized that political will was strong, not only because the fight against corruption and organized crime was a condition for European integration, but also an essential need to have strong and stable institutions in Serbia, which must complete the process of reform of the Serbian society and state.

Sutanovac participated in bilateral meetings with President Tadic, and talked with the President of the European Council, Herman von Rampuy, and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs Baroness Ashton and European Parliament President Yiri Buzek. He also attended the meeting of President Boris Tadic with the U.S. Senator Jean Sane.

In addition, Sutanovac also had separate bilateral meetings with Miroslav Lajcak, Director for Europe, Russia and Central Asia, the European External Affairs Service. Minister and Lajcak exchanged views on security and political situation in the Western Balkans, stressing the political instability that is present in the countries of the region, which is primarily a consequence of the economic crisis and unemployment. They agreed that this was a very important development of further regional cooperation in overcoming all problems, including economic ones. Mr. Lajcak also highlighted the high rating given by the EU security sector reform in Serbia, which is a driving force for overall reforms. He stressed the importance of including the Common Security and Defence Policy, through participation in its civil and military missions. Sutanovac thanked for this assessment and pointed out that precisely because it is important to you before signing a security agreement with the EU, to our intention to partner with the EU Member States participating in their multinational operations as soon transferred by.

Sutanovac also met with Defence Secretary of Great Britain Liam Fox. The main topic of discussion was the further development of military cooperation between Serbia and the UK, which is at present a very high level, with potentials for further development. Sutanovac said that in the past year the process of professionalization had been brought to its full level, that formed the University of Defence, but there is still a need for additional learning and training, so the reformed system can flourish. Secretary Fox said he believed there was still room for improvement, first of all, sharing in education and training of officers of the Army of Serbia and that he would like the minister and him to seriously consider possibilities of cooperation, primarily through joint participation in multinational operations .

Topics discussed at the Forum demonstrate that today there is no question that has no impact on each country in the world, and that the need for mutual cooperation is present more than ever. Discussions were particularly interesting in an attempt to find answers to the question whether one can speak of success or failure of Western policies in the Middle East, the consequences of intervention in Libya and the future world order. Sure, its place in the debate involves the question attitude toward the global economic crisis, its completion and efforts to overcome its greatest impact, such as unemployment, economic stability, as well as the challenges that it brought the global trade system. Large states that have had significant progress in this period, China and the Russian Federation, were also discussed, as well as issues of energy security and the use of oil as a raw material. The situation in Belarus, Afghanistan and Pakistan are the themes that interested participants of the Brussels Forum, as well as elections in America, and the future euro-zone.

Participation in the sixth Brussels Forum was an opportunity for the delegation of the Ministry of Defence, through participation in panels and in bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the gathering, to learn about contemporary views and developments in the global security challenges, and to offer their opinions on them in the most effective way. Participation in the Forum was a good opportunity to analyze the possibility of our wider involvement, in line with capacity and policy of the state, in finding answers to these challenges.