15.06.2021.
Conference on the “Participation of the Republic of Serbia in Peacekeeping Operations“
The conference on the "Participation of the Republic of Serbia in Peacekeeping Operations", organized in cooperation between the Ministry of Defence and the Atlantic Council of Serbia, was held today in the Central Military Club’s assembly hall. The meeting was attended by Acting Assistant Minister for Defence Policy Predrag Bandić, members of the MoD and the Armed Forces, representatives of the Atlantic Council of Serbia and the diplomatic corps accredited to Serbia.
The conference emphasized the contribution of the Republic of Serbia to the preservation of world peace through the participation of the Serbian Armed Forces in multinational UN and EU operations.The Head of the Strategic Planning Department, Defence Policy Sector, Ministry of Defence, Colonel Slaven Vujić, spoke about the similarities and differences between the UN and EU multinational operations.
– Both the UN and the EU operations are based on common values and solidarity among member states, which, by uniting in such a way, overcome mutual contradictions and contribute to peace and stability by having a common vision of a better future - Colonel Vujić said.
The Head of the Peacekeeping Operations Centre, Serbian Armed Forces General Staff, Colonel Mirjana Milenković, PhD, presented the history of Serbia’s participation in multinational operations, from the participation of the Yugoslav People’s Army in 1956 until today.- Currently, 280 members of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces are participating in eight peacekeeping operations, five under the command of the United Nations, and three under the auspices of the European Union - Colonel Milenković said.
Lieutenant Colonel Danilo Joković, PhD, from the Military Medical Academy spoke about medical staff providing support to building and maintaining peace, and the greatest successes that Serbian peacekeepers had achieved by participating in that operation.
At the end of the conference, the UK Defence Attache, Colonel Nick Ilic, the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP)and the joint participation of members of the British and Serbian Armed Forces in it.It was concluded at the end that the Republic of Serbia would continue to advocate for active cooperation at the international level, thus contributing to the strengthening of its defence capabilities and capacities and the protection and championing of national and defence interests.
