03.11.2014.

Minister of Defence and Ambassador of France discussed improvement of military cooperation

Minister of Defence Bratislav Gasic and newly appointed Ambassador of France in Belgrade Christine Moro discussed the improvement of bilateral military cooperation between the two countries.

Gasic and Moro stressed that the relation between Serbia and France is traditionally good and friendly, which has been confirmed by the signed agreement on strategic partnership. They stated that cooperation in the field of defence is intensive and helps for the other EU states to see a reliable partner in Serbia. Gasic particularly thanked for the support for the key foreign policy priorities of Serbia.

During the meeting, the importance of cooperation in peacekeeping missions was stressed, especially in EU multinational operations for crisis management. Minister Gasic introduced Ambassador Moro with the plan of deployment of Serbian peacekeepers in the next period and thanked for the logistic support that France gives to our forces in Djibouti.

“We expect that, by the end of the year, over 500 members of the Armed Forces of Serbia will be deployed in UN and EU multinational operations. By the end of the year, deployment of a military unit in UNIFIL is planned, a medical team in Mali, and a level-2 deployable medical treatment facility in the Central African Republic”, Minister of Defence pointed out.

Ambassador Moro expects that Serbia and France will strengthen their mutual connections and, through mutual commitment, contribute to finding resolutions for various security challenges. She also said that she hopes for an even greater number of joint activities of mutual benefit.

Minister Gasic invited Minister of Defence of France Jean-Yves Le Drian to visit Serbia next year on the occasion of marking the Day of Serbian Aviation, and the Acrobatic Group “Patrouille de France” to contribute to the manifestation with their presence.