15.04.2013.
Assistant Minister Jovanovic meets NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy
Assistant Minister for Defence Policy Miroslav Jovanovic and his associates have met today with NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy Ted Whiteside.The central theme of the discussion was Partnership Goal G-0007 – Public Information, which is made operational through Serbia - NATO Defence Reform Group (DRG) Working Table No. 6 – Public Diplomacy. The office of primary responsibility for the achievement of this goal in the defence system of the Republic of Serbia is Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Defence.
Whiteside thanked the Assistant Minister that he himself, as well as other representatives of MoD and SAF, with their two-day engagement at the regional seminar of the Atlantic Council of Serbia "Write as You Speak and Read as it is Written", held in Ruma, from 12 to 14 April 2013 sent a message about the necessity of cooperation and better understanding of the defence system and the media.
The Assistant Minister stressed the need for continuous improvement of cooperation between the defence system and the media. The importance that the Ministry of Defence attaches to such cooperation is illustrated by the level of the representatives of MoD and SAF whose taking part in the said seminar was decided by the Minister.
Representatives of the MoD introduced Whiteside to the efforts invested, the results achieved so far, and plan for future activities aimed at the promotion of the work of MoD and SAF. They particularly analyzed briefing about the co-operation through Partnership for Peace Programme as well as about the participation of defence forces of the Republic of Serbia in multinational operations of the United Nations and the European Union.They agreed that without security and stability there cannot be sustainable development, for which the primary task of the defence system (as a narrower part of the national security sector) and international organizations with which it cooperates must be to create a safe and secure environment for life and work of all citizens of the Republic Serbia and the region of Southeast Europe.
To this end, it is important to objectively and thoroughly inform the public about the forms of cooperation between the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces and the NATO achieved so far and to be achieved in the future through Partnership for Peace Programme that provides many opportunities for joint work in different areas, without compromising the declared concept of neutrality of our country.
The Assistant Minister was invited to visit the NATO Public Diplomacy Division in Brussels in order to understand the possibilities for expansion of cooperation.
