07.02.2024.

Meeting with Minister of Defence of Federal Republic of Germany

The President of the Republic and Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces, Aleksandar Vučić, met today with the Minister of Defence of the Federal Republic of Germany, Boris Pistorius, with whom he agreed in an open and sincere conversation that peace and stability were of the utmost importance for everyone, both in the region and Europe.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Miloš Vučević and Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff, General Milan Mojsilović.

"Despite the fact that we have different views on many subjects, we agree that peace and stability are of the utmost importance for everyone and that an escalation and instability are in no one’s interest. We are proud of the fact that we belong to a free and independent country that wants to continue on its path towards EU integration”, said President Vučić in his address at a joint press conference. He expressed his gratitude to the German defence minister for supporting Serbia and the region on their path towards EU integration, as it can be a peace project, but it can also contribute to our overall economic and social development.

According to President Vučić, the conversation with Minister Pistorius was completely open and sincere.

"When you hold a conversation in a diplomatic way, you aren’t always sure of what you’ve heard or what you’ve said. I would like to thank Mr Pistorius for visiting the Republic of Serbia. Germany is our country’s most important economic partner”, President Vučić concluded.

The Minister of Defence of the Federal Republic of Germany, Boris Pistorius, said that the conversation had been brief, open and sincere. It was concluded, he said, that Serbia is the largest economy in the Western Balkans and Germany’s partner. According to him, the fact that Serbia is the largest economy means that it also has the greatest responsibility, and there is great potential for development through regional integration, which is also important for EU membership.

"We also agree that an escalation can be harmful. In political life it is wise to make compromises and let go of the past in order to prevent any escalations or tensions. Violence and threats are not means of exerting political influence," said Minister Pistorius. Speaking about the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, he said that during his visit to the southern Serbian province, he had called for dialogue and made it clear that every legitimate measure must be adopted so that no one had to suffer any damage and that there were transitional periods, without aggravating the situation.