18.10.2016.
Defence Minister at SEDM
Defence Minister Zoran Djordjevic is participating today at the South-Eastern Europe Defence Ministerial (SEDM) in Rome.The initiative for the establishment of SEDM was launched at a meeting of Ministers of Defence held in Tirana in March 1996 with the intention of strengthening cooperation between the SEE countries, and with the meeting in Rome it celebrated 20 years of successful cooperation.
Minister Djordjevic in his address pointed out that certain forms of cooperation under SEDM directly influenced the intensification of political and military cooperation and contributed to the strengthening of understanding, and hence stability and security in South-Eastern Europe. He stressed that we mark the SEDM anniversary in the year when the international community is faced with a serious, unprecedented new challenges, such as the current migrant crisis. The fact that the Republic of Serbia is located on one of the key migrant routes, the so-called Balkan route, mobilized all levels of society to show solidarity and humanity. Having in mind the possibility of escalation of the crisis and the infiltration of extremists and terrorists in the migratory flows, security apparatus was activated through joint engagement of the Serbian Armed Forces and the Ministry of Interior on securing the state border.
During his speech, Minister Djordjevic particularly emphasized that for the region of the Western Balkans it is undisputed that the EU enlargement policy is one of the key catalysts of social and economic development and progress. In this regard, a more serious delay in the EU enlargement would have a negative impact on economic development, and indirectly to the political stability of the region. He concluded that Serbia remains committed to the promotion of cooperation with key international organizations in the field of defence and security as well as to the active contribution in the framework of regional forums in the Southeast Europe.
Speech by Minister Djordjevic
