12.10.2016.
General Dikovic at the Xiangshan Forum in China
Serbian Armed Forces Chief of General Staff, General Ljubisa Dikovic, is participating in the 7th Xiangshan Forum, which is organized by the Chinese Association for Military Science and the China Institute for International Strategic Studies, held in Beijing, from 10 to 12 October.
Under the theme Enhance Security Dialogue and Cooperation, Build a New Model of International Relations, the 7th Xiangshan Forum discussed the Role of the Militaries in the Global Governance, Cooperative Management of the New Asia-Pacific Security Challenges, Maritime Security Cooperation and International Terrorism Threats and Response.
During the first plenary session, Role of the Militaries in the Global Governance, General Dikovic spoke today to the participants in the Forum on this subject from the perspective of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces.
Assessing that soldiers and military forces have a great responsibility in achieving the objectives in the sphere of security, General Dikovic said that the current crisis in global governance can be overcome only through dialogue and respect for the interests of various entities. He pointed out that only a clear and transparent defence policy enables the development of appropriate complementary military capabilities, noting that it is necessary to share global responsibility and joint response to transnational conflicts.Recalling that in 10 peacekeeping operations of the United Nations and the European Union there are currently 332 members of the Serbian Armed Forces – which makes our country the largest contributor of peacekeeping forces in the region – General Dikovic pointed out that Serbia invests significant efforts in preserving peace and stability, with which it intends to continue also in the future.
General Dikovic also pointed out that the initiated wave of migration from the region of the Middle East warns that it is extremely important to find an appropriate solution and ensure the functional connection of all institutions that are in any way involved in dealing with migrants. He informed that in the Republic of Serbia, combined military and police teams were established to control the state border in order to prevent illegal crossings and trafficking of migrants.
- I wish to particularly point out here that the actions of the military and police forces towards migrants are based on the respect for human rights and the inviolable rights of the child, rights of asylum seekers, as well as other legal provisions regulating this area – General Dikovic emphasized.
The Serbian Armed Forces Chief of General Staff said that the United Nations capabilities to respond to contemporary security challenges and threats should be improved, noting that the UN and other security alliances and initiatives should be trusted organizations capable of connecting the member countries to cooperate with each other and respond appropriately.
The Xiangshan Forum is an annual platform for high-level dialogue on security and defence issues in the Asia-Pacific region, which is jointly organized by China Association for Military Science and the China Institute for International Strategic Studies. Topics during the plenary sessions on the first day of the Forum were related to the response to the new security challenges in the Asia-Pacific region, followed by maritime security cooperation, international terrorism threats and fight against terrorism, and the mentioned role of the militaries in the global governance. Key messages that could be heard from almost all the speakers were related to the necessity of improving cooperation at all levels, dialogue as the main mechanism of cooperation, adapting the security architecture to the new security challenges, common response to growing security threats and the need for information sharing and intelligence cooperation.
