22.03.2021.
Minister Stefanović meets with U.S. Ambassador Mr. Godfrey and U.S. Defence Attaché Colonel Shea
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Nebojša Stefanović, PhD, met today with the United States Ambassador to Serbia, Mr. Anthony Godfrey and the new United States Defence Attaché to Serbia Colonel Corey Shea.
Minister Stefanović welcomed the new Defence Attaché and expressed hope that the experience he had gained in previous diplomatic missions in the Western Balkans would help him perform his duties in the coming period.
Minister Stefanović informed his guests that the Republic of Serbia continued to pursue a balanced defence policy and work on improving and further developing defence relations with all countries and international organizations, in accordance with the long-term strategic commitment of the Republic of Serbia to preserve its status of military neutrality.
The Minister of Defence and Ambassador Godfrey stressed the importance of cooperation in a number of fields, such as the Ohio National Guard State Partnership Program, which was mutually important and useful in all segments of bilateral military cooperation and emphasized important results Serbia achieved by participating in multinational operations.Minister Stefanović expressed concern about the participation of the so-called Kosovo Security Force in the "DEFENDER EUROPE 21" exercise, organized by NATO and the U.S. Armed Forces. He said that we appreciated being informed, in the spirit of partnership, about the organization of the exercise prior to its execution, but that we were deeply concerned because the participation of the so-called Kosovo in this exercise was contrary to all international documents.
Ambassador Godfrey showed understanding of Serbia’s concern, although the two countries had different positions on this issue. The Ambassador also emphasized that the United States wanted to continue intensive cooperation with the Serbian Armed Forces and expressed hope that a bilateral military exercise could be conducted as early as this year.
The interlocutors concluded that both countries were interested in continuing the military cooperation and expanding it to new areas, and stressed the importance of bilateral defence consultations, whose aim was to harmonize strategic guidelines for improving cooperation in the coming period.
