29.03.2022.

Italian Minister of Defence Guerini visits Serbia

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Nebojša Stefanović, PhD, has met today with the Minister of Defence of Italy, Lorenzo Guerini, who is paying an official visit to the Republic of Serbia. The meeting was held in the Old General Staff building. According to Minister Stefanović, the defence cooperation between the two countries is at a very high level, reflecting the economic and overall relations between the two countries.

He thanked Minister Guerini for his second visit in a relatively short period of time and for Italy's strong support for Serbia, which is reflected in concrete actions.

- Italy is one of the countries that most strongly support Serbia’s European path, not only in theory, but in practice, through concrete actions, for which we are profoundly grateful. It is also one of the largest investors in the Republic of Serbia, which contributes to the creation of new jobs and a better life for Serbian citizens, which is very important for our country - said Minister Stefanović, emphasizing Serbia’s support for the accession of all our neighbours to the European Union, because we believe that this is best for the prosperity of the entire region.

According to Minister Stefanović, the defence cooperation between the two countries is at a high level and has been improving every year.

- We had the opportunity to talk about that in December 2020 during Minister Guerini’s visit to Serbia, but also when the Chief of the Defence Staff of Italy was visiting our armed forces the year before. And we have really taken a step forward in our overall military cooperation. Also, our soldiers have great cooperation in multinational operations. I have recently returned from Lebanon where I personally saw that their cooperation in the UN mission is not strictly formal but, according to the Serbian soldiers who participate in the mission as part of the Italian contingent, they feel really welcome among Italian soldiers. Both Serbs and Italians are proud of being soldiers of their countries, but they share the same food, have the same assignments and live as brothers in a country where the security situation is very complex - said Minister Stefanović.

He also noted that our soldiers jointly participate in the mission in Somalia, as part of a medical contingent.

- Our joint participation in various missions around the world, in which we protect international law, stability and security of those regions, is a good indicator of Serbia's commitment to preserving stability in the region. I told Minister Guerini that he can count on Serbia as a reliable partner in this part of Europe, that will continue to support the stability in this part of the world with decisive actions, because we are interested in progress, economy - said Stefanović.

He thanked Minister Guerini and Italy for always being ready to work with us towards the goals that are important, not only for the security of our countries, but the whole of Europe.

- For us, the role of KFOR in Kosovo and Metohija is very important, and the role of Italian soldiers serving in KFOR, protecting the Serbian people and monasteries, is important. They do it in a good way and we are grateful for that. That is why we maintain close communication with KFOR, which is the only guarantor of security of the Serbian people in our southern province - said Minister Stefanović.

After today's meeting, Minister Guerini thanked Minister Stefanović for the cordial meeting.

- I also thank you for the constant dialogue between our two countries and sectors we are in charge of. I would like to thank Serbia for its active participation in UN and EU operations, which are very important and where the effectiveness of synergy has been shown. I would particularly like to thank you for everything that the Serbian military forces are doing in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. We really appreciate their commitment and work. We appreciate their work, but other international factors also appreciate it. For Italy, the cooperation aimed at ensuring peace is very important. This is shown by our joint participation in operations such as UNIFIL and KFOR, whose goal is to ensure stability and whose basic function is to be an impartial guarantor of security - said Guerini.

According to him, the Balkans is a very important region for Europe, in the strategic sense.

- Therefore, I believe that the quality and scope of our cooperation and our relations, which I think will be further developed and will certainly contribute to Serbia moving closer to the European Union, which Italy strongly advocates and wholeheartedly supports, will be basic factors leading to mutual benefit - said Minister Guerini.

According to him, the accession of the Balkans to Europe is very important.

- It is also important for maintaining the geopolitical balance in Southern Europe, and that is why we believe that Serbia’s future is in Europe and that Belgrade can certainly count on our strong support. We are now living in a time when there is great tension at the international level, because of the war that is taking place in Ukraine. As far as Italy is concerned, we will continue to work towards a credible negotiation process. I would like to thank Serbia for the support it has shown regarding the need to preserve the territorial integrity of Ukraine - said the Italian Minister of Defence.

The meeting was also attended by Deputy Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff, Lieutenant General Petar Cetković, Assistant Minister of Defence Policy Predrag Bandić, Assistant Minister of Material Resources Nenad Miloradović, PhD, and Italian Ambassador to Serbia, H.E. Carlo Lo Cascio.