16.06.2021.
Meeting between Minister Stefanović and Secretary of State for Defence Wallace
Delegations representing the Ministries of Defence of the Republic of Serbia and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, led by Minister Nebojša Stefanović and Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace, met today in Belgrade. After the meeting, Minister Stefanović pointed out that today's visit of the UK Secretary of State for Defence to Serbia was of strategic importance, not only for the two ministries of defence, but also for the development of overall relations between our countries, and Defence Secretary Wallace said that Britain and Serbia had a bright future of strengthening partnership ahead of them.
After the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Nebojša Stefanović and Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace signed an Arrangement for Improved Defence Cooperation between the Republic of Serbia and the United Kingdom.Wallace thanked Minister Stefanović and pointed out that this was a very important day and that it was a continuation of the previously established cooperation with Serbia.
– As I say this, almost 70 British soldiers are conducting an exercise together with Serbian soldiers in Serbia. Britain and Serbia have a bright future of strengthening partnership ahead of them. It is very important for us to have good partners in the Balkans, strong partners, and Serbia is a country with which we can collaborate even more closely and work more for our mutual benefit - Minister Wallace emphasized.
According to him, it is in the interest of the United Kingdom for Serbia to be strong and successful and there is no doubt that it is in Serbia's interest to have partners on various sides.
– I think we share a lot of common values that we can work towards together. We have many common defence interests that we can develop. For example, Serbia will join the UK in the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Cyprus – Defence Secretary Wallace said.As he emphasized, it is our common mission to ensure that both our nations are safe and secure and that they become stronger.
– I am looking forward to fulfilling everything we signed today so that it is not just a piece of paper, but a relationship that is being built, which, in my opinion, will last in a world that is increasingly restless and insecure. And that is exactly where you need to have a friend, and Britain and Serbia intend to build a strong friendship in this part of the world and make sure it grows stronger – Defence Secretary Wallace pointed out.
He expressed great satisfaction at signing the Arrangement for Improved Defence Cooperation.
– Even before Minister Stefanović became the Minister of Defence and before I was appointed Secretary of State for Defence, we both worked in the field of security and fight against terrorism in the ministries of the interior. I think that this long-lasting relationship makes our citizens safer and I expect that we will build stronger cooperation on that basis - Wallace concluded.
Minister Stefanović warmly welcomed the distinguished guest and expressed satisfaction at the fact that this was the first official visit of a UK Secretary of State for Defence to Serbia ever.– This visit is, indeed, the crown of our cooperation so far, of everything we have done over the past period, of all trainings, exercises. It is of strategic importance, not only for the ministries of defence, but also for the development of overall relations between our countries. It will also be a good basis for drawing up guidelines for further development of our relationship - the Serbian Minister said.
By signing the Arrangement for Improved Defence Cooperation, he pointed out, the two sides showed readiness and determination to continue intensive bilateral cooperation between the two countries’ ministries and armed forces.
– The UK is a significant, great power, in both technological and military terms, which is why it is, among other things, a desirable partner for our armed forces, for our country, and we are ready to work together to address all security challenges that lie ahead in the modern world, and at the same time to maintain a high level of capabilities of our armed forces - Stefanović said.
Minister Stefanović announced that the Serbian and British delegations would attend the "Platinum Wolf" exercise tomorrow, where, besides members of our armed forces, the British contingent is the most numerous, with 69 participants. He pointed out that the exercise would show readiness to reach the highest standards in UN and EU peacekeeping operations.
– At the same time, I would like to express my satisfaction with our joint participation in the mission in Cyprus. Members of the Serbian military police will participate in this mission together with representatives of the British Armed Forces, and I want to thank you for the support we received in carrying out this mission, which I consider one of the most important missions for the development of relations between the two armed forces. I would like to thank Defence Secretary Wallace and the British side on behalf of all members of the Ministry of Defence, for the donation sent to Serbia for the fight against Covid-19. We received the donation early on in the crisis, which is very important, because it helped our military health care to respond more efficiently to these challenges, and we are really grateful for that - Stefanović said.The Serbian Minister added that during the meeting, they had also talked about the possibility of military-industrial cooperation, which was very important for the Republic of Serbia, and announced that in the coming months our teams would consider concrete forms of cooperation, which would be reflected in enhancing our armed forces’ operational capabilities and involving our young scientists.
– Our strong alliance in both world wars and our future in which we can cooperate as two very close countries, oblige us to work on this a lot, and I want to thank once again the Defence Secretary and his delegation for showing readiness to work with Serbia on improving our security and stability and to help our countries make progress and support each other, as President Vučić pointed out today in the conversation with Defence Secretary Wallace - Stefanović said.
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