29.10.2013.
Meeting of Chiefs of Defence of Serbia and Romania
Playing the national anthem and ceremonial welcoming ceremony at the "Banjica 2" barracks were the beginning of today's meeting of the Serbian Armed Forces Chief of general Staff General Dikovic and the Romanian Armed Forces Chief of General Staff Lieutenant-General of Romania Stefan Danila, who is leading the delegation of that army during the three-day visit to Serbia.Speaking about the importance of today's meeting with his Romanian counterpart, General Dikovic said that the Serbian Armed Forces serves the purpose of realization of the objectives of the foreign policy of our country, and one of the key objectives is the regional cooperation.
- This meeting is an excellent opportunity to enhance our bilateral military cooperation, and for this there are all the options and exceptional foundation – General Dikovic said recalling the fruitful cooperation with Romania in the field of aviation industry, the joint military exercises, as well as many other mil-to-mil activities. The traditional friendship between the two countries, he added, provides an excellent basis and facilitates finding ways to improve military cooperation.
According to General Dikovic, one of the key topics discussed during today's talks will be the pooling of capacities at the regional level, and both armies possess these capacities.
- Primarily, they will discuss the use of Capu Midia training range in the Republic of Romania for shooting at aerial targets by man portable systems, then, the CBRN Advanced Personnel Training Centre, which is world-class, utilization of South Base capacities in order to prepare for participation in multinational operations, as well as on cooperation in education and training – General Dikovic pointed out adding that it is known that the armed forces of Romania have excellent service academies, and our Military Academy has developed capacities for personnel exchange. The purpose of all this, he emphasized, is to strengthen security in the region and further strengthening of trust to the satisfaction of the members of the two armies.Discussions about joining forces, will apply to the area of the third mission of the armed forces, to help the civilian population in case of natural disasters and catastrophes, particularly to the potential participation of our forces in "Tisa" Multinational Battalion, which consists of the members of the armed forces of Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Ukraine.
At the end of his speech, General Dikovic expressed his gratitude for the principled position of Romania regarding the non-recognition of the independence of Kosovo and Metohija.
Visit to Serbia, General Danila assessed, is an expression of strong military-to-military cooperation between the two countries, and the cooperation is an opportunity to learn from our common experience in multinational operations and missions.- It is very important for us to work together for the purpose of the regional stability and security. In this time of financial difficulties, it is important for all of us to find solutions for common activities, in order to avoid their duplication, and that we all are working together toward the same goal – General Danila said expressing satisfaction with the joint exercises between the two armed forces in the previous years, on behalf of himself and the members of the Romanian Armed Forces.
Apart from the traditional ties, as General Danila pointed out, we are also bound by friendship, and the fact that we are in the same part of Europe.
- Having in mind that Romania has held chairmanship-in-office of the South East Europe Defence Ministerial (SEDM) for two years already, I would like hereby to express the confidence of the Romanian Defence Minister, Mircea Dusa and his position that Serbia is a very important element of the defense and security cooperation in the region - the Romanian Chief of General Staff emphasized adding that it is necessary to continue to cooperate and work to improve its quality, in order to be ready for any new challenges.
During the visit to Serbia, the delegation of the Romanian Armed Forces will visit the 204th Aviation Brigade of the Serbian Armed Forces and the Military Academy.
