24.05.2022.
Meeting between Minister Stefanović and Director General IMS NATO Lieutenant General Wiermann
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Nebojša Stefanović, PhD, has met today with Director General of NATO’s International Military Staff, Lieutenant General Hans-Werner Wiermann, who is paying a visit to the Republic of Serbia.
According to Stefanović, the cooperation in which the International Military Staff plays a significant role, has been good so far.“Serbia is satisfied with the results achieved through our participation in the activities under the Partnership for Peace auspices. Given our military neutrality, we find it an ideal cooperation framework for achieving our security goals and building up our defence capabilities in the context of military neutrality”, said Minister Stefanović, adding that our cooperation with all partners was entirely transparent.
At the meeting, Minister Stefanović pointed out that Serbia was firmly committed to peace and stability as essential prerequisites for prosperity both in our region and globally, and that it made concrete and visible contributions to the preservation thereof. According to him, cooperation between the Serbian Armed Forces and KFOR is good and very important. He also noted that, according to UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and the Military Technical Agreement NATO is the only security presence in Kosovo and Metohija whose authority cannot be transferred. Lieutenant General Wiermann pointed out that NATO had a high regard for the partnership with Serbia and underlined the importance of cooperation between the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces and NATO under the Partnership for Peace auspices.
"We hold Serbia, our close partner, in high esteem. I am glad that we have exchanged views on the prospects of improving our long-term and mutually beneficial cooperation with full regard for Serbia’s neutrality policy," said Lieutenant General Wiermann.