05.02.2016.

General Breedlove visited Serbia

Commander of Allied Command Operations and US European Command General Philip Breedlove visited the Republic of Serbia today and met with Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic, Chief of General Staff General Ljubisa Dikovic, Secretary of State in the Ministry of Defence Zoran Djordjevic and Secretary of State in Ministry of Foreign Affairs Roksanda Nincic.

During the talks with General Breedlove, General Dikovic pointed out that the key topics that were discussed during today's meeting were related to security issues in this region, and that they agreed on the conclusion that the security situation is stable, but that there are certain challenges that could translate such a state into a certain unwanted situation.

- We also discussed our cooperation, in which the Serbian Armed Forces, in the framework of the Partnership for Peace Programme, from the position of constitutionally determined neutrality, cooperates with NATO and everyone else in order to create and raise its own capacity to respond to any crisis in any area - said General Dikovic, stressing cooperation with KFOR, which is specifically tied to General Breedlove, as commander of Allied forces in Europe. He said that this cooperation, which he assessed as excellent, also resulted in the relaxation of the ASZ, adding that one more step remains, and that is the implementation of that decision.

According to the Chief of General Staff, they also discussed the challenges inherent in the migrations, and the common conclusion was that only joint action can prevent all the events that can compromise security.

- Today, the Serbian Armed Forces, together with KFOR, is the most important factor of stability in this region and we do our best to remain so in the future with the help and cooperation of our partners - concluded General Dikovic at the end of his address.

As pointed out by General Breedlove, since the Republic of Serbia had joined the Partnership for Peace Programme and the Euro-Atlantic Council in 2006, NATO and Serbia have gradually but steadily built cooperation and dialogue, both at the political and the military level.

- The training and exercises with NATO and with the Allies have individually contributed to members of SAF being able to efficiently and safely work with us in the UN and EU missions in which they are deployed - said General Breedlove.

Speaking of cooperation, General Breedlove also highlighted the cooperation with the Centre for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defence of the Serbian Armed Forces, which received the status of a partnership centre for education and training in 2013, which opened up its activities to other allies and partners as well.

- Over the past year, NATO and Serbia agreed to deepen their cooperation by signing the Individual Partnership Action Plan, which has provided a new opportunity to strengthen our dialogue, mutual understanding and cooperation - said General Breedlove, adding that this cooperation benefits both NATO and Serbia.

- Today, Serbia plays a very important role in building and maintaining the stability of the Western Balkans and the whole of Europe and, indeed, we warmly welcome the important steps you have taken to build relationships with your Balkan neighbours - said General Breedlove and added that NATO fully respects the military neutrality of Serbia and is looking forward to deepening the already strong relations.

At the meeting with Secretary of State Zoran Djordjevic, they highlighted the contribution of the Republic of Serbia to the enhancement of regional cooperation, and that our country represents a regional leader by participation in multinational operations of the United Nations, which provides a full contribution to the advancement of world peace and security.

- Military cooperation, through the available mechanisms of the "Partnership for Peace" Programme, is the optimal framework for capacity building of our armed forces in accordance with the highest military standards, said Djordjevic.

During the meeting with Secretary of State Djordjevic, they stressed the support to the promotion of cooperation of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces with NATO at the political level, in particular for the organization and realization of exercises. Both sides agreed that in the past period substantial and complex military cooperation had been established between the two sides, which is currently at its highest level since the beginning of our participation in the Programme.

Special emphasis was given to very good cooperation in the field realized by members of the Serbian Armed Forces and KFOR.

- The presence of KFOR forces in the territory of our southern province is of crucial importance for the protection of non-Albanian population, as well as our national, cultural, historical and religious heritage, added Djordjevic.