17.06.2019.

Excellent cooperation between Ministries of Defense of Serbia and Belarus

With the highest state and military honors, Minister of Defense Aleksandar Vulin met today with the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Belarus, Lieutenant General Andrei Ravkov, who is on a two-day visit to Serbia.

Following the meeting and talks, Minister Vulin thanked the Belarus colleague for his personal contribution to the development of military-technical cooperation between Belarus and Serbia.

- There was no requirement on our part that you did not accept and did not fulfill. The overhaul of our MiGs has the dynamics projected, Serbia meets her obligations timely and in full, as well as Belarus, as we agreed. We look forward to continuing military-technical cooperation and in line with the best personal relations of our Presidents – President Lukashenko and President Vučić, cooperation between our Armed Forces and Ministries will also continue to develop – Minister Vulin said.
According to him, the trilateral exercise “Slavic Brotherhood”, in which the special units of Belarus, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Serbia are taking part, has become a traditional exercise that we are truly proud of.

- We learn from the Belarusian and Russian Armed Forces, and there are things to learn, but they also have a lot to learn from us. We will have the opportunity to personally make sure that our people are trained, equipped and operating together – said the Minister of Defense of the Republic of Serbia.
In addition to talks on military-technical cooperation, he added, during today’s meeting, there was also word on the expansion of cooperation in the field of military education, the training of our CBRN units, the possibility of training our members for participation in peacekeeping operations in our country, and representatives of Belarus were offered joint participation in UN peace-keeping operations.

- Belarus is our partner, and a fraternal country and we are grateful for the support they provide in our battle for Kosovo and Metohija, just as Belarus knows that we always represent the Belarus side and interests in all world forums. Our cooperation will continue and I can say with great pride that in the history of Serbia and Belarus there has never been so many joint activities and more productive military-military relations, Minister Vulin concluded, adding that he gladly accepted General Ravkov’s invitation to visit Belarus.

In his address following the meeting, General Ravkov pointed out that the strengthening of international security and cooperation was a priority for the Republic of Belarus.

- In the conditions of the existing escalations in the region, I can say that we are very proud of the relationship that we have with Serbia and which has lasted for 25 years. The Minister of Defense of the Republic of Serbia contributes to the development of military cooperation between Serbia and Belarus in his own way. Military-technical cooperation between our countries is significant, and especially this year it is abundant with various activities, and I would emphasize a joint trilateral exercise “Slavic Brotherhood 2019” and I am glad to have the opportunity to be there for it – emphasized General Ravkov, adding that he is convinced that members of the Armed Forces of Belarus, the Russian Federation and Serbia will demonstrate their capabilities and show that they are at the height of the task during the exercise.

According to him, Belarus is ready to contribute even more to the closer cooperation of our countries within the framework of the competition “Slavic Border” and “Polar Star”.

- The Ministries of Defense of our countries are fully prepared for military exercises. I would emphasize particularly high efficiency when it comes to cooperation in the field of verification. Relations with our fraternal Republic of Serbia have always been built on mutual understanding and respect. I am particularly pleased that today I met with my great friend and colleague Minister Vulin – said General Ravkov, adding that the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Belarus will do whatever is needed for the implementation of the agreements reached and the continuation of cooperation.

Today’s meeting was attended by Assistant Minister for Material Resources, Nenad Miloradović, PhD, Chief of the Directorate for Planning and Development of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, Brigadier General Milan Popović, and Chief of the Department for International Military Cooperation, Colonel Milan Ranković.