31.07.2015.

Visit from the Chief of the Swiss Armed Forces

Defence Minister Bratislav Gasic spoke with the Chief of the Swiss Armed Forces Lieutenant General Andre Blattmann about the possibilities for advancement of cooperation in the field of defence.

Gasic pointed out that the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces were especially interested in Switzerland’s practices from the participation in the projects of the European Defence Agency.

He underlined his expectations that the cooperation with the European Defence Agency would improve interoperability with EU member states, and allow for the strengthening of the national defence industry and research potential of Serbian institutes, and the technological modernization of the armed forces, and thus the improvement of military and defence capabilities of Serbia.

Considering that Switzerland has a highly developed military industry, it was noted that this was also an area in which all forms of cooperation could be developed.

Although not an EU member, Switzerland supports the strategic orientation of Serbia to join the EU, and it ranks among the most important countries by the amount of donor and humanitarian aid to Serbia. Therefore, Minister Gasic thanked once again for the support that Serbia had received from Switzerland during last year's floods.

Сусрет начелника генералштабова Србије и Швајцарске

Earlier today, Chief of the General Staff General Ljubisa Dikovic and Chief of the Swiss Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Andre Blattmann met.

On that occasion, General Dikovic pointed out that the present cooperation between the Serbian Armed Forces and the Swiss Armed Forces in the field of defence was primarily seen in the further training of our members on the courses organized by the Geneva Centre for Security Policy.

- From 2002 until today, about a hundred members of our Armed Forces have completed these courses. We have also established cooperation with the College of the Swiss Armed Forces in the field of human resources and the Geneva International Humanitarian Mine Action Centre, which is very important bearing in mind that, in Serbia, humanitarian mine actions have not been completed yet - General Dikovic said.

According to him, Serbia and Switzerland have similar conceptual views of the world and the environment, as neutral countries in relation to military alliances, and we have similarly organized armed forces.

- This gives us a realistic basis to advance our cooperation through joint actions, joint training, particularly of our units for special operations and military intelligence services. I wish to stress that the Swiss Confederation has an exceptionally well-developed military industry, while our military industry is on a great rising course, and this is another area for joint work - General Dikovic said.

There is also space for improvement of the cooperation, as General Dikovic said, in training at the CBRN Centre in Krusevac, which also has a regional character, as well as in the South base.

As General Dikovic stated, friendly relations between the two armed forces are also evidenced by last night's concert of the Orchestra of the Swiss Armed Forces and the Art Ensemble of the Ministry of Defence "Stanislav Binicki".

While reflecting on the significance of his visit, the first official visit of a Chief of the Swiss Armed Forces, General Blattmann also emphasized the good cooperation between the two armed forces, underlining the close cooperation in the context of political dialogue, particularly in the OSCE.

- I am pleased that General Dikovic has provided me with basic information on the Serbian Armed Forces, and I highly appreciate the exchange of views on topics of common interest, because both our countries are interested in having a stable region - General Blattmann stressed, adding that the participation of Serbian officers in various courses, in particular those held in Geneva was highly regarded.

General Blattmann also stressed the importance of the visit to our country, noting that the last night's concert of orchestras of the armed forces was a great sign of friendship and that it properly displayed the close relations between the two countries.

Chief of the General Staff of the Swiss Confederation, the head of the country’s delegation, will visit the Special Brigade in the further course of the visit.