08.09.2022.
Meeting between Minister Stefanović and Adjutant General of Ohio National Guard
Today, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Nebojša Stefanović, PhD, held a meeting with the Adjutant General of the Ohio National Guard, Major General John Harris, who is paying and official visit to the Republic of Serbia, to discuss ways to improve cooperation in the future.
At the beginning of the meeting, Minister Stefanović congratulated Major General Harris on being awarded the Order of the Serbian Flag, 2nd class, for various merits in developing and strengthening cooperation between Serbia and the USA, which was presented to him today by the President of the Republic and Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces, Aleksandar Vučić.The Minister of Defence thanked Harris for his personal contribution to the development of cooperation between the Serbian Armed Forces and the Ohio National Guard, which serves as a powerful lever for our military cooperation, but also as the impulse towards improving the overall Serbia-U.S. relations.
According to Minister Stefanović, the two nations were strong allies and sincere friends in both world wars, but our relations are burdened with painful memories of the nineties. Consequently, all forms of cooperation that are in mutual interest are extremely significant, because they lead to a better understanding and trust between the two nations and countries.The successful long-term cooperation with the Ohio National Guard has allowed our soldiers to acquire knowledge and skills from one of the most powerful militaries in the world, he said. This has contributed to the improvement of operational capabilities and interoperability of our armed forces in such a way that they are ready to respond to all modern challenges at any time.
Thanks to this cooperation, the Minister of Defence reminded, our soldiers are trained at the South Base, which has modern accommodation and infrastructure. Also, thanks to joint exercises and training conducted over the past year, our soldiers had the chance to improve their skills in ensuring cyber security and carrying out paratrooper rescue missions. Our personnel have also improved their skills in providing medical care and assistance to the local population in emergency situations and through infrastructure repair projects. According to Minister Stefanović, it is precisely through this kind of cooperation that trust and better relations are built, not only between members of the two armed forces, but between the two countries as well.The Adjutant General of the Ohio National Guard expressed satisfaction at the opportunity to meet with the highest officials of the Republic of Serbia and the Ministry of Defence. He said that he valued the professionalism of members of the Serbian Armed Forces very highly and described the cooperation as extremely successful, particularly in the military to military and military-medical fields. He also expressed determination to continue improving cooperation and enhancing operational capabilities of the two armed forces’ personnel, agreeing with Minister Stefanović that this would lead to a better mutual understanding and cooperation between the two countries.
Today’s meeting at the Old General Staff’s building was also attended by assistant ministers for material resources and defence policy, Nenad Miloradović, PhD, and Predrag Bandić, Director of the Military Intelligence Agency, Major General Zoran Stojković and U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission, John Ginkel.
