06.12.2023.
State Secretary Starović at United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial
State Secretary at the Ministry of Defence Nemanja Starović and members of his delegation attended the United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial (UNPKM) in Accra, Ghana.
The ministerial is a multilateral conference of exceptional importance for the international community, because it represents an important platform for strengthening the effectiveness of peacekeeping operations under the auspices of the United Nations.During his formal speech, State Secretary Starović thanked the Republic of Ghana for its hospitality and for hosting this important conference in very difficult conditions, considering the fact that armed conflicts are raging throughout the world for which it is becoming more and more difficult to find adequate, compromise and long-term solutions, both at the regional and global levels.
He pointed out that, regardless of all the difficulties caused by the current circumstances, the Republic of Serbia remains firmly committed to ensuring continuous contribution to the building and preservation of world peace. Through its involvement in UN peacekeeping operations, he emphasized, Serbia ranks among the most important contributors, which was recognized during the preparation for the ministerial.
According to State Secretary Starović, members of the Serbian Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior participate in four out of 12 peacekeeping operations, with over 270 service members deployed.Being an important contributor, he said, Serbia closely monitors the challenges facing peacekeeping operations and supports the efforts made by UN Secretary General and Secretariat, including the initiatives – Action for Peacekeeping and New Agenda for Peace, in order to adjust the approach to peacekeeping through the appreciation of the reality of current conflicts.
Besides the contribution Serbia provides to United Nations peacekeeping operations through the deployment of military and police forces, State Secretary Starović emphasized Serbia's intention to devote more attention and energy to providing support to the UN Secretariat in peacekeeping training and capacity building, by hosting three courses in 2024 and 2025, by engaging mobile training teams, and by providing certified instructors for the delivery of the UN Field Medical Assistants Course.
On the sidelines of the conference, State Secretary Starović had a meeting with the Minister of Defence of Ghana, Dominic Nitiwul, during which they signed an Agreement on Defence Cooperation between the two governments.
State Secretary Starović also had meetings with the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Cyprus, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, the Minister of Defence of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Secretary of State at the Ministry of National Defence and Homeland Veterans of Angola, as well as with the special envoy of the Kingdom of Denmark tasked with securing a seat for a Danish candidate on UN Security Council in 2025-2026.State Secretary Starović also met with General Staff Deputy Chief of the People's Liberation Army of China, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the head of the delegation from the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria.
During their stay in Accra, the Serbian delegation visited the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre, where the Centre's facilities were presented to them and where opportunities for potential cooperation relating to the engagement in United Nations peacekeeping operations were considered.
