30.04.2015.
Bilateral defence consultations with Turkey
Bilateral defence consultations between the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Serbia and the Ministry of National Defence of the Republic of Turkey were held in Ankara. During the meeting, the Bilateral Military Cooperation for 2015 has been devised.
Head of the International Military Cooperation Department Battleship Captain Milan Konjikovac and Head of the Sector for Europe at the International Relations, Security and Contracts Department of the General Staff of Turkish Armed Forces Frigate Captain Cenk Durmazer conveyed heir expectation that the good cooperation would achieve the planned level in the next period through its intensification in the key fields and improvement in others. As the first step, they recognized the need for redefining the legal framework that would provide a broader platform for future cooperation. Battleship Captain Konjikovac informed his interlocutor about the goals of the Republic of Serbia during its OSCE chairmanship in 2015, activities of the Ministry of Defence in the process of the EU accession and stressed that active engagement in the Partnership for Peace Program represents the optimal frame for achieving security goals and improvement of defence capacities, while retaining the proclaimed policy of military neutrality of the Republic of Serbia. Konjikovac presented the current deployment o MoD and SAF members in multinational operations and the plans for increased deployment in the future period. He stressed that the members of the Turkish Armed Forces in KFOR significantly contribute to establishing a more secure environment in Kosovo and Metohija with their professional work.
With a detailed analysis and exchange of opinions on the current political security challenges in the world, both sides stressed the importance of regional cooperation, because the dynamic security environment demands for firmer connections between states in the region in all fields, especially in the domain of combating transnational threats and responses to natural disasters.
Frigate Captain Durmazer restated the support of the Republic of Turkey for the European integration process of the Republic of Serbia. He stressed the necessity of a more substantial exchange of practices from deployments in multinational operations, and the necessity of intensifying military-military, military-economic cooperation and cooperation in the field of military education, which would particularly contribute to the quality of the relation and enhanced trust.
The interlocutors agreed that the planned high-level meetings would help further improve the cooperation in the field of defence.
