08.02.2017.
State Secretary Nenad Nerić participates in CEOS meeting
At the invitation of the Minister for Defence and Sport of the Republic of Austria, Hans Peter Doskozil, State Secretary of the Ministry of Defence, Nenad Nerić, has participated today in Vienna at the joint meeting of defence ministers of the Central European Defence Cooperation (CEDC) with ministers of the interior of the Salzburg Forum.
The themes of the meeting are Action Plan for the permanent closure of the Western Balkans migrant route, centres for processing outside the European Union and the repatriation of illegal migrants.
The aim of the participation of State Secretary Nerić at the meeting was briefing about the efforts that the Republic of Serbia is making to resolve the migrant crisis in the territory of Europe, as well to come to a common civil-military response to these challenges through discussions with other participants.
Mr Nerić introduced the audience to the complex situation on the ground, as well as the involvement of the Joint Forces of the Serbian Armed Forces and the Ministry of Internal Affairs in ensuring the security of the state border, which has significantly reduced the number of migrants who illegally cross the state border.
The State Secretary expressed his hope that concrete actions will be taken in the forthcoming period for strengthening the control of eastern and south-eastern European borders, enhancing the capacity for receiving migrants in the regional countries, which is currently full, as well as accelerating the procedures for their repatriation. He stressed the importance of the regional approach to addressing these issues, but also the need for articulating a unified response at the EU level, as the only way of reaching a comprehensive solution to the migrant crisis.
