13.04.2011.
Assistant Minister Ilija Pilipovic in Brussels
Assistant Minister for Material Resources Ilija Pilipovic visited on 12 April the European Defense Agency in the EU and NATO defense investments sector in Brussels. This is the first contact of the Serbian Mod officials and the said institutions of EU and NATO.During the visit, Assistant Minister Pilipovic met with the European Defense Agency (EDA) chief executive Ms. Claude-France Arnould on which occasion they spoke about the achievements of defense industry and the need to intensify cooperation in research and development. Since both sides agreed on promoting further relations, further steps in institutionalization of cooperation even before Serbia becomes a full EU member have been defined.
Besides EU, Pilipovic also visited the NATO HQ, where he met with the Assistant Secretary General for Defense Investments and the CNAD (Conference of National Armaments Directors) Permanent Chairman Patrick Auroy. Auroy expressed his pleasure at seeing Assistant Minister participating in CNAD. The Partnership for peace Program enables Serbia to participate in this forum for the first time. He commended MoD on successful reforms and achievements in codification and material standardization. With the NATO Sector for Defense Investments Assistant Minister agreed on exchange of experts and experiences in areas of mutual interests.
Further on, Pilipovic also met with the Director of the NATO Agency for Consultations, Command and Control Velizar Salamanov, Phd. They agreed on working on potential joint projects in IT systems and on the need to conclude a Memorandum on Understanding, the contents of which are already undergoing the process of harmonization.