15.12.2020.
President and Supreme Commander Vučić meets with Italian Minister of Defence Guerini
The President of the Republic and Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces Aleksandar Vučić spoke to Italian Minister of Defence, Lorenzo Guerini, with whom he agreed that the two countries had stable friendly bilateral relations and close cooperation in all important fields, in accordance with the established strategic partnership. They expressed hope that circumstances would soon allow a new joint session of the governments to be held. The meeting was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Nebojša Stefanović, PhD.
President Vučić thanked Italian soldiers who, as part of KFOR, had an important role in maintaining peace and stability, as well as protecting Serbs and other non-Albanian communities in Kosovo and Metohija, and emphasized that thanks to their behaviour and actions, especially in protecting the Visoki Dečani monastery, they had gained the trust of the Serbian population. He also commended Italian generals for their professionalism in commanding the international security forces since 2013.
President Vučić expressed concern about the existing tension in the region and said that the most important thing was to preserve peace and stability. Minister Guerini stressed that Italy considered Serbia an important country in the Western Balkans and commended President Vučić for his leadership and his role in maintaining peace and stability in the region. In that regard, he stressed the importance of Belgrade-Priština dialogue and reaffirmed Italy’s commitment to continue contributing to security by acting impartially within KFOR.President Vučić said that the cooperation in the field of defence was extensive and that Serbia and Italy were carrying out a large number of joint activities, highlighting the participation of Serbian soldiers in UNIFIL as part of the Italian contingent.
Minister Guerini said that Italy appreciated the participation of the Serbian Armed Forces members in UN and EU peacekeeping operations worldwide. He also expressed Italy’s support for Serbia in its EU accession process, hoping that it would intensify.
President Vučić expressed gratitude to Italy for supporting Serbia on its European path, and said he was satisfied with the economic cooperation between the two countries and hoped that it would increase in the coming years.
Minister Guerini conveyed the Italian government and Prime Minister Conte’s gratitude for the medical assistance Serbia had sent in the first phase of the fight against COVID-19. President Vučić sent greetings to President Mattarella and Prime Minister Conte and said that we deeply appreciated the fact that Minister Guerini came to visit during the pandemic, when such visits were very rare.
PHOTOGALLERY
VIDEOGALLERY15.12.2020
mp4 (36,31 MB)The meeting
