28.08.2024.
Meeting between Minister Gašić, Commander of JFC Naples Admiral Munsch
Minister of Defence Bratislav Gašić met with the Commander of Allied Joint Force Command, Naples, Admiral Stuart Munsch, in Belgrade today. The main topics of the meeting were the dialogue between Serbia and NATO and the security situation in Kosovo and Metohija.
Minister Gašić emphasized that “stability and regional security are strategically important and represent Serbia’s priority interests”, and that “intensive political dialogue with NATO at all levels contributes to the overall strengthening of trust and understanding between the two sides”. The Minister of Defence underlined commitment to military neutrality and building good neighbourly relations with all interested parties. Also, he said that Serbia “remains a trustworthy partner committed to maintaining the existing level of cooperation and improving relationship with NATO in areas of mutual interest, under the Partnership for Peace Programme".Minister Gašić said that Serbia had proven its readiness to find constructive and not unilateral solutions. However, he said, the policy of the provisional Priština institutions directed against Serbs, as well as their illegal actions and lack of adherence to the Brussels Agreement, have led to the most serious crisis since its signing.
According to Minister Gašić, a series of unilateral moves by the provisional institutions in Priština accompanied by a continuous increase in the number of ethnically motivated incidents directed against the Serbian population gives serious cause for concern, and one of them, not the latest one, is a deliberate provocation regarding the announcements about the opening of a bridge over the Ibar River in Kosovska Mitrovica. He emphasized that the opening of the bridge would pose a security risk and a direct and open threat, causing a new wave of emigration of Serbs from our southern province.At today's meeting, the Minister of Defence said that Serbia “remains committed to the peaceful resolution to all disputes through political dialogue, with the aim of ensuring a better life for all citizens of Kosovo and Metohija, while protecting its sovereignty and territorial integrity and fully adhering to UNSC Resolution 1244 and the Military-Technical Agreement”.
Admiral Munsch reaffirmed NATO's firm commitment to regional stability, highlighting the strategic importance of the Western Balkans for NATO, as well as the commitment of its members to lasting peace and security in the region. He emphasized, once again, KFOR's impartial commitment to the UN mandate, as well as to making a contribution to a safe and secure environment.
Admiral Munsch underlined the importance of maintaining direct and transparent communication channels between NATO, KFOR and Serbian state authorities, above all the one between the Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff, General Milan Mojsilović, the KFOR Commander, Major General Özkan Ulutaş, and himself.
According to Admiral Munsch, this visit is another proof of the existence of constructive dialogue between NATO and Serbia, but it is also dedicated to the development of practical cooperation and support for Serbia's reforms, while respecting its neutrality policy. He added that NATO “remains fully committed to its involvement in the Western Balkans, primarily through the KFOR mission whose goal is to preserve security and stability”.
PHOTOGALLERY
VIDEOGALLERY28.08.2024
mp4 (61,94 MB)The meeting
