18.05.2017.
Danish support to building capacities of Serbian defence system
The delegation of the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Denmark led by the Head of the International Military Cooperation Department of the General Staff Colonel Hans Mortensen is in a visit to the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Serbia. The objective of the visit of the Danish delegation is a tour of units of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces, which were the final beneficiaries of the Danish donations in the previous period, signing the Protocol on the donation of IT equipment, as well as talks about the current defence cooperation and proposals for further improvement.
The Danish delegation including the Chargé d’affaires in the Embassy Mr. Morten Hansen was received in the International Military Cooperation Department by its Head Navy Captain Milan Konjikovac.Navy Captain Konjikovac informed the interlocutors about the activities of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces in the process of the accession to the EU, collaboration within the Partnership for Peace Programme and engagement in multinational operations. He thanked for the support to the defence system reform through continuous expert and financial assistance, stating that Kingdom of Denmark is one of the most important donors of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces.
The Head of the International Military Cooperation Department expressed his contentment with the level of the defence cooperation so far and emphasized that the enhancement of military-educational and military-military cooperation should be the priority. He expressed the expectation of the organization of a high-level visit, which would give an impulse to further development of collaboration.Colonel Mortensen agreed that the special mark to the cooperation was given by the Danish donation and expressed the readiness to continue with financial and expert assistance if there are fields in which a concrete contribution of the Danish side is possible. He stressed the necessity of more intensive collaboration in the conditions of the current security challenges and threats such as migrant crisis and terrorism, as well as significance of establishing cooperation in the field of cyber defence.
It was mutually stated that after many years of the programme for stabilization and reform of the defence system, there is space for continuation of the collaboration and development of partnership relations through expert talks and exchange of experience in the fields of mutual interest.
During the visit, the Director of the Directorate for European Integration and Project Management Colonel Katarina Strbac, PhD, informed the guests about projects of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces and expressed the expectation of continuation of the cooperation. The delegation also visited the Department for development of psychological activities of the Human Resources Sector, the Clinic for Psychiatry at the Military Medical Academy, the Department for Telecommunications and IT of the General Staff and the Air Force and Air Defence Command, where they made sure of usefulness of the donated equipment for improvement of operational and functional capabilities of the Serbian Armed Forces and enhancement of interoperability.
