21.01.2021.
Minister Stefanović meets with Allied Joint Force Command Naples Commander, Admiral Burke
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Nebojša Stefanović, PhD, met today with Admiral Robert Burke, Allied Joint Force Command Naples Commander. They discussed the cooperation between the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces and NATO, as well as the security situation in Kosovo and Metohija.
Collocutors agreed that there was a good cooperation between the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces with NATO, in particular with Allied Joint Force Command Naples, and that high-level meetings helped strengthen mutual trust and understanding.
Minister Stefanović expressed concern for the security of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija noting that the latest OSCE reports showed that the number of incidents affecting the Serbian community had increased by more than 109.4 percent. He pointed out that we expected support and an active role of KFOR in protecting the Serbian people in our southern province for which it was responsible, and he expressed our firm belief that it would play its role in preserving stability.Speaking about the cooperation between Serbia and NATO, Stefanović underlined that the Republic of Serbia cooperated with all partners in a completely transparent way, but in accordance with its policy of military neutrality and noted that, in this context, the “Partnership for Peace” programme was optimal framework for cooperation. He said that engagement so far in various PfP mechanisms, along with participation in joint training and international exercises contributed to the development of interoperability, the importance of which for the Serbian Armed Forces is most visible during engagements in UN- and EU-led peacekeeping operations.
Admiral Burk emphasized that the Republic of Serbia and NATO were close partners and that successful participation of Serbian forces in multinational operations was one of the results of that partnership. According to him, the KFOR mission remains unchanged and a stable situation in the area of responsibility is of key importance for the security in the region. He also pointed out that there was an excellent dialogue between the Serbian Armed Forces and KFOR, as well as that communication channels were constantly open.
