05.07.2017.
Serbia will not join any military alliance
Defence Minister Aleksandar Vulin and US Ambassador Kyle Scott have discussed further continuation of defence cooperation between the two countries.
Analysing the previous period, the interlocutors noted that the defence sector was the most developed part of the overall bilateral relations, and Minister Vulin confirmed that the Ministry of Defence, as well as the Serbian Armed Forces, to which President Vučić's is supreme commander, will continue to cooperate at the same pace, to be a link and a driver of better quality relations between Serbia and the United States in all spheres and at the same time a guarantor of stability in the region.
- Rich defence cooperation is one of the results of the overall foreign and defence policy implemented by our government, and we remain consistent in pursuing policy of military neutrality, which implies that Serbia will not join any military alliance, Minister Vulin said.Ambassador Scott expressed his belief that the cooperation with Minister Vulin would be successful, and during the conversation they spoke about joint exercises and training, development of capacities for preparation and participation in peacekeeping operations, cooperation with the Ohio National Guard through the State Partnership Programme, and the forthcoming Combined Medical Engagement in Angola.
Also, the support provided by the United States through the Security Assistance Programs is very useful in the process of modernising and equipping the Serbian Armed Forces, the Minister of Defence said and emphasized that a transparent approach is what he will primarily insist on in further cooperation.
In this regard, Minister Vulin expressed concern about the activities that the representatives of the interim self-government institutions in Pristina conduct in establishing the "Kosovo Armed Forces" and stressed that he still sees KFOR as our only partner in securing the administrative line and as a guarantor of security in Kosovo and Metohija.Vulin and Scott have also discussed the current political and security situation, and the defence minister confirmed that Serbia, within its possibilities, would contribute to the fight against Islamic terrorism, which today represents a global threat, as equally reliable as it has proved to be in the migrant crisis and preservation of the regional security whose stability is a prerequisite for further improvement of the economic situation and living standards of all citizens.
Minister Vulin congratulated Ambassador Scott and his associates on the Independence Day.
