14.11.2016.
State Secretary Neric at Political Directors of the Ministries of Defence A5 Meeting
State Secretary at the Ministry of Defence Nenad Nerić took part in a meeting of Political Directors of the Ministries of Defence of US-Adriatic Charter (A5) in Zagreb.During the meeting, talks were held about A5 cooperation and responses to contemporary security challenges, with the emphasis on fight against terrorism and the problem of foreign fighters.
During his talk, State Secretary Nerić concluded that the region of South Eastern Europe is facing the following key security challenges: migrant crisis, fight against terrorism, phenomenon of foreign fighters, as well as poverty and economic underdevelopment as long-term causes of total regional instability. Furthermore, he emphasized that the Republic of Serbia is interested in cooperation and common response to contemporary nonmilitary security threats, and that all countries in the region should encourage the establishment of tolerant society which will be capable of respecting and cherishing different religious and ethnic identities, as well as the right of individuals and groups not to belong to either of them.
State Secretary stressed that the countries of the region will together make the region more stable and secure for their citizens by strengthening mutual trust, cooperation and faster economic development. The Republic of Serbia is always open for cooperation due to its opinion that regular political dialogue and continuous exchange of information about contemporary security threats which affect not only region but also wider international community, represent a good framework for finding answers to challenges that no one can address solely.
US-Adriatic Charter is a regional security group, interstate strategic partnership set up on US initiative, with the aim to strengthen regional security and stability and faster accession of countires to euro and euroatlantic integrations (NATO). In the stated regional initiative, the Republic of Serbia has observer status, in view of the fact that A5 implies NATO membership, which collides with the declared policy of military neutrality.
