05.06.2012.

Defense ministers of Serbia and Angola meet

Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac met today with Minister of National Defence of the Republic of Angola Candido Pereira Dos Santos Van Dunem in the House of Guard at Topcider.

On this occasion, Minister Sutanovac and Van Dunem signed on behalf of the Government of Serbia and the Government of Angola respectively, the Agreement on Cooperation in Defense, State Secretary Zoran Vesic and National Director of International Relations, General Jose Luis Caetano Hipino de Suosa signed the Regulation on organization and work of the joint Serbian-Angolan Committee for Cooperation in the field of defense.

Sutanovac said that today's visit confirms friendly relations between the two countries dating back to the times of former Yugoslavia.

- Serbia and Angola have a long history of positive relations, and after last year's visit to the country, these relations have deepened and renewed, and our Military Academy cadets and officers had to study in Serbia - Sutanovac said, adding that the wish that cooperation in defense be a pillar of cooperation the two countries.

Today's meeting, he said, was spent in discussions about military-military and military-economic cooperation, which include fields of education, training, and training soldiers of Angola in Serbia and in our military academies.

The minister also recalled that in previous years, a large number of officers of Angola, including some members of the delegation, had been trained in this area, while there are currently two officers currently studying in Serbia, and dozens of cadets and officers from that country who will be trained in the Serbian capital are expected soon.

- Military and economic cooperation includes military construction industry, as well as weapons and military equipment. Angola is a country during a decade of peace had built the most part of its infrastructure, especially military infrastructure - said the Serbian defense minister, adding that for some time there had been talks about the construction of military hospitals in the country, but also the reconstruction of military bases. He said that these projects would help propel the construction companies from Serbia that would be engaged on the construction of these facilities.

He also remarked that an important part of the discussion was devoted to the maintenance of weapons and military equipment, as well as the purchase of arms and equipment from the domestic defense industry.

- During the visit, the delegation will have the opportunity to visit the Military Academy, Military Medical Academy, and Nikinci training ground, where they will see the most advanced weapons produced in Serbia - Sutanovac said, expressing his hope that this cooperation would be strategic.

Speaking about the importance of the meeting Minister Van Dunem said that it is a strategic partnership and again in a series of planned steps of cooperation.

The presence of delegations of Angola in Serbia is the evidence and testimony of beliefs and interests of the leadership of our country to strengthen cooperation with Serbia. We believe that this is an important confirmation of cooperation that has always connected the people of Angola and the former Yugoslavia - said Minister Van Dunem, adding that good cooperation between the two countries will continue, not only in defense and armed forces, but also in other domains.

He added that the Angolan delegation is of the belief that today's meeting is an important step in the initiation of cooperation mentioned, and when it comes to the education of staff and military-economic cooperation, there are a number of projects that Angola intends to implement with Serbia.

- We would like to tell the Serbian people that we are willing to realize that cooperation and that we do our utmost to fulfill the set requirements, and this will be the dominant item of our future cooperation - said Minister Van Dunem during today's meeting with Minister Sutanovac at the House of Guards.