04.11.2021.
Meeting between Minister Stefanović and Minister of Defence of Spain
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Nebojša Stefanović, PhD, talked today in Madrid to the Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of Spain, Margarita Robles, about enhancing defence cooperation between the two countries, particularly in the military industry segment. After the meeting of ministers, a letter of intent was signed declaring the commitment of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Serbia to procure military transport aircraft and the commitment of the Ministry of Defence of the Kingdom of Spain to provide support and assistance during the procurement.
At the beginning of the meeting, Minister Stefanović noted the exceptionally close and friendly relations between the two countries’ armed forces and ministries."The Serbian people deeply appreciate the friendship with the Spanish people, and I would like to express our gratitude to Spain for its position of principle regarding the issue of non-recognition of the so-called Kosovo. I would also like to emphasize that the Republic of Serbia strongly supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Spain," said Minister Stefanović, thanking Spain for providing strong support to Serbia on its path to European integration.
The Minister expressed satisfaction with the achieved level of defence cooperation, crowned by joint participation in multinational operations, particularly in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
He expressed his determination to continue activities in the field of military to military cooperation and the development of cooperation in the field of military industry. He also stressed the importance of continuing military-economic and military-technical cooperation activities, starting from outlining further forms of cooperation between the two countries’ research and development institutions and defence industries.
Speaking about the importance of mutual support in protecting sovereignty and abiding by the principles of international law, Minister Robles said that Spain’s position on the non-recognition of the so-called Kosovo remains unchanged and that this country continues to strongly support Serbia's demands for preserving sovereignty and territorial integrity.She agreed with Minister Stefanović that there is still room for further improvement of defence cooperation, especially in the field of defence industry, and pointed out that Spain is also determined to continue joint participation in multinational operations and intensify military to military cooperation.
Robles also said that Spain considers Serbia a key country in the Western Balkans and that it will continue to strongly support our country on its path to the EU.
After the meeting, a letter of intent was signed declaring the commitment of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Serbia to procure military transport aircraft and the commitment of the Ministry of Defence of Spain to provide support and assistance during the procurement. This document will secure the continuation of activities in the field of military-economic and military-technical cooperation, including the planned procurement of equipment for the needs of the Serbian Armed Forces.The letter of intent was signed by the Assistant Minister of Defence for Material Resources, Nenad Miloradović, PhD, and the National Armament Director of the Ministry of Defence of the Kingdom of Spain, Admiral Santiago Ramón González Gómez.
