14.03.2019.
Cooperation between Serbian and US Armed Forces
Minister of Defense Aleksandar Vulin met today in Belgrade with Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia Laura Cooper. The issues discussed at the meeting also attended by US Ambassador to Serbia Kyle Scott, were military-military, military-educational and military-medical cooperation, political and security situation in Kosovo and Metohija and in the region, as well as military cooperation in the upcoming period.
The meeting highlighted that the military-military cooperation is one of the leading mechanisms in the development and upgrading of the interstate relations between the Republic of Serbia and the United States.
Views on the political and security situation in the region were also exchanged, and Minister Vulin accentuated the US contribution to the KFOR mission and expressed disagreement with intentions to reduce the number of soldiers in KFOR, which has a negative impact on the security of the non-Albanian population in Kosovo and Metohija.The Minister of Defense voiced his concern about the transformation of the “Kosovo Security Forces” into the “Armed Forces of Kosovo”, which represents a gross violation of all previous agreements and has a very negative impact on the regional stability.
According to Minister Vulin, the Republic of Serbia remains firm in the view that strict compliance with the provisions of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 is necessary and that KFOR is most responsible for maintaining peace and security at the territory of Kosovo and Metohija and the only partner of the Serbian Armed Forces; also that the recent provocative actions of the representatives of Pristina do not support efforts to find a common and sustainable solution.The highly successful cooperation of the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Armed Forces with the National Guard of Ohio within the framework of the State Partnership Program was highlighted at the meeting, along with the intention to continue to develop it further.
Laura Cooper also stressed that the bilateral military cooperation between the two countries is well developed, but that new areas of cooperation that would be of mutual interest should be found.She expressed satisfaction with the successful implementation of the training between 18 February and 14 March 2019, which took place on the training grounds of the SAJ units of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia, with the participation of members of the SAJ, the Serbian Armed Forces and the SEALs special unit of the US Armed Forces.
