07.04.2011.

Defence Ministers of Serbia and France meet

During the visit of Serbian President Boris Tadic to the Republic of France, defense ministers of Serbia and France Dragan Sutanovac and Gerard Longee today held separate bilateral meeting.

After being received with highest military honors organized by his French counterpart Minister Longe, the two delegations discussed a number of important topics.

First, they exchanged views on political and security situation in the Western Balkans and the situation in North Africa and the Ivory Coast.

Both ministers agreed that the bilateral military cooperation between Serbia and France was at a very high level, but there's always the conditions for its further improvement.

Sutanovac informed Minister Longee of the security sector reforms that have so far been carried out in Serbia, stressing in particular the process of professionalization of the Serbian Army, achieving the standards of modern European armies, fulfilling the obligations of the Partnership for Peace, and engage in collective defense and security policy of the EU.

Furthermore, he informed Minister Longee that Serbia expects to quickly conclude two agreements with the EU on security, so its officers, soldiers and policemen could join the civilian and military missions of the Union.

The ministers also discussed involving the Serbian Army officers in the French military contingent in the EU mission Atalanta, and the medical team in the EUTM mission Somalia - Uganda. They both agreed that this means that besides being involved in UN multinational operations SAF would be an equal partner in the civilian and military EU missions, and would become the partner of EU countries in securing peace.

Ministers Sutanovac and Longe also discussed military-economic and military-technical cooperation, particularly on the need to enhance technical cooperation and joint access to third markets. Also, highlighting progress in the military health care in Serbia, the ministers agreed on enhancing cooperation in this field.

After the talks, ministers signed an agreement on bilateral defense cooperation, which envisages promotion of cooperation between the two Ministries of Defense in the field of education, military and economic and military-technical cooperation and exchange of officers and professional staff.

While inking the agreement, Sutanovac stressed that this was an important moment for Serbia to be able to simultaneously conclude an agreement on defense matters within Serbia’s Partnership with France, thereby further strengthening the traditionally good bilateral relations between the two armies.

This agreement will enable officers of the Serbian Army to continue the old tradition of the Serbian army and go to school in the most prestigious military schools, such as the French Saint-Sir. Minister Longe agreed with this view and pointed out that in this way France supported Serbia in its process of reforms and its path to European integration.

At the end of the meeting Sutanovac urged French defense minister to visit Serbia, whose invitation was gladly accepted by Minister Longee.