23.01.2020.
Assistant Minister for Defense Policy Ranković meets with NATO Deputy Secretary General for Operations Perish
Assistant Minister for Defense Policy, Milan Ranković met with NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Operations, Jonathan Perish today. The meeting also discussed Serbia’s co-operation with the NATO, KFOR’s involvement, and broader issues of international peace and security.
The Republic of Serbia, Assistant Minister Ranković said during the meeting, is cooperating with partners in the West and the East in a very transparent manner, in accordance with the policy of military neutrality. In this context, he added, cooperation with the NATO under the auspices of the Partnership for Peace program is an optimal framework for achieving security goals and improving defense capabilities.
Assistant Minister Ranković conveyed to the NATO interlocutors the concerns of the Republic of Serbia regarding the overall situation in Kosovo and Metohija, pointing to a series of unilateral decisions by the Provisional Institutions in Pristina. He also stressed that the Republic of Serbia strongly opposes the creation of the so-called Kosovo Security Force and remains firmly in the position that KFOR is most responsible for maintaining peace and security in the southern Serbian province. In that regard, said Assistant Minister Ranković, it is crucial that KFOR, with consistent implementation of UNSCR 1244 and solely in accordance with the mandate allocated, responsibly undertakes the task.
NATO’s Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Operations Perish emphasized that NATO respects the foreign policy position of the Republic of Serbia, and assessed the cooperation between the two sides as very good. He conveyed the Alliance’s expectations that Belgrade and Pristina would find a political solution to the status of Kosovo and Metohija through dialogue. He added that the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and the Military Technical Agreement are key documents for KFOR’s engagement, whose numerous status and mandate will remain unchanged. Deputy Assistant Secretary General NATO Perish briefed the Ministry of Defense delegation on NATO’s views on current challenges in the South East Europe and the Middle East regions.