Ministry of defence Republic of Serbia
 
04.09.2014.

Minister Gasic at the Summit in Wales



The delegation of the Ministry of Defence, headed by Minister Bratislav Gasic, participated in the “NATO + 24 Partners” meeting, held in the course of the Summit in Newport. The invitation to Bratislav Gasic, who is also the first Serbian defence minister to attend such a meeting, represents a confirmation that the Government of Serbia, in the course of the “Partnership for Peace” Program, has a status of a reliable, predictable and responsible partner and is firmly committed to cooperation with all countries and international organizations with the goal of improving regional and global security.

The meeting that Minister Gasic participated in was dedicated to promoting the Partnership Interoperability Initiative and “The Interoperability Platform 2014-2015”. Participants of the meeting learned that, accordingly to the possibilities and capacities of the Armed Forces of Serbia, its current tasks and security situation, Serbia will thoroughly consider the possibility of engaging in the Interoperability Platform.

On the margins of the NATO Summit, Defence Minister met with numerous state officials and military officials. Along with current issues of regional cooperation, the talks also involved analyzing the level of the bilateral cooperation that the official’s countries have with Serbia, and the perspective for its improvement.

The “Partnership for Peace” Program enables Serbia to be an active factor and contribute to regional and global security, which is also beneficial to the EU accession process. Engaging in the Program alleviates for Serbia acceptance of military standards followed not only in NATO member states, but also in the EU countries that are not members of the Alliance. For Serbia, it is particular importance to engage in mechanisms that secure preparation of armed forces for peacekeeping operations.

Taking part in the “Partnership for Peace” does not oppose Serbia’s declared neutrality; it enables active cooperation with all members and partners of the NATO that are supposed to support the reform of the defence system, lead to implementation of generally accepted standards and improve our defence capacities.

The Wales meeting, held under the title “Building stability in an unpredictable world”, was attended by heads of states, governments, foreign policy ministers and defence ministers from over 60 countries, and representatives of most important international organizations. The meeting represents one of the most important events in the international political security scene in 2014.