04.06.2021.
Staff talks on defence policy with France
A delegation representing the Serbian Ministry of Defence, led by the Acting Assistant Minister for Defence Policy Predrag Bandić, paid an official visit to the French Republic.
Assistant Minister Bandić informed Air Force Brigadier General Bruno Foussard about the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces’ activities in the European integration process, cooperation within the Partnership for Peace program and the participation of members of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces in multinational operations.
The interlocutors stated that the participation of the French artillery platoon in the multinational tactical exercise "Platinum Wolf" in Serbia acted as an additional incentive for the improvement of military to military cooperation. They also agreed it was necessary to take the existing opportunities for the improvement of cooperation, primarily in the field of military education, officers’ training for participation in multinational operations, military-technical and overall military-economic cooperation.
In conversation with Air Division General Laurent Marboeuf, International Relations Officer of the French Armed Forces Joint Defence Staff, Assistant Minister Bandić said that the cooperation between the two countries was long and diverse. There is a strong historical and cultural tie between Serbia and France, Bandić pointed out, and interstate cooperation has been taking place within the framework of the Strategic Agreement on Cooperation between the Governments of the Republic of Serbia and the French Republic, which yields more and more positive results in all areas. General Marboeuf conveyed France’s commitment to intensifying defence cooperation in the interest of both sides.The Ministry of Defence provides significant support to the Republic of Serbia in achieving its foreign policy goals, Assistant Minister Bandić said during talks with the Director for Defence Policy at the Ministry of the Armed Forces, Alice Guitton, and Serbia determines and pursues its own policy in the field of defence exclusively in accordance with international law and international obligations, which is why its role in promoting stability and security in the Western Balkans and beyond is extremely important. During the meeting, Director Guitton acquainted our delegation with the updated version of the Strategic Review of Defence and National Security and France's strategy for the Western Balkans.
During the visit, the delegation visited the French-Serbian exhibition "Our History, Our Memories" at the Defence Historical Service in Vincennes, which was prepared to celebrate the centenary of the First World War and testifies to military and civilian cooperation between the Serbian and French people.
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