23.02.2023.
State Secretary Starović meets with Austrian ambassador
State Secretary at the Ministry of Defence Nemanja Starović met today with the Ambassador of Austria to Serbia, H.E. Christian Ebner.
State Secretary Starović said that the defence cooperation with Austria was intensive and highly developed, reflecting the overall bilateral relations between the two countries. He said that Serbia was fully committed to military neutrality and added that the Ministry of Defence would continue to pursue a balanced defence policy, striving to improve and further advance military relations with partner countries and international organizations in accordance with national interests and foreign policy priorities. Starović stressed that the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces were committed to the further advancement of cooperation with Austria in all areas of mutual interest, primarily through the enhancement and intensification of military-to-military cooperation, as well as cooperation in the domains of military education and military medicine, and through the “Graz Format” initiative.
Ambassador Ebner agreed that the cooperation between the two ministries of defence was at an exceptionally high level and expressed his expectation that the cooperation would be further enhanced in the future. He stressed that Serbia was Austria’s important partner in the Western Balkans, and an important factor in ensuring security in the EU and Austria. He cited illegal migration towards the EU countries as one of major challenges that Serbia, Austria and the EU were faced with. According to Ambassador Ebner, no country can address the regional security challenge on its own. He stressed that the EU was focused on the situation in Ukraine and that it posed an obstacle for initiating a comprehensive migration prevention process at EU level.As a confirmation of good defence cooperation, 2023 Bilateral Serbia-Austria Military Cooperation Program was signed by Head of the International Military Cooperation Department, Colonel Svijetlica, and Austrian Defence Attaché to Serbia, Colonel Christian Smutek.
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