06.06.2024.
Balkan Countries Chiefs of Defence Conference
The Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff, General Milan Mojsilović, attended the 17th Balkan Countries Chiefs of Defence Conference, held today in Durrës, Albania.
In this year’s forum, which brings together leaders of regional armed forces, experiences and views about the involvement of young people in the defence and security sector were discussed, as well as the challenges armed forces face in attracting and retaining young recruits in the military.Other topics of importance for the promotion of closer regional defence cooperation and implementation of joint activities aimed at strengthening military-to-military relations among countries of the region were also discussed.
In his address, General Mojsilović emphasized the importance of regional military-to-military cooperation for the preservation of peace and security, especially amid the complex security situation at the global level. He also said that this forum adds impetus to strengthening mutual confidence and defence capabilities of the countries in the region. He also stressed that the Serbian Armed Forces remain open to cooperation in all areas of common interest, primarily in the domain of training, and are ready to offer their training facilities to the service members of other countries participating in this initiative.In the course of his visit to Durrës, the Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff will have separate meetings with the Chief of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lieutenant General Gojko Knežević, the Chief of Defence Staff of the Romanian Armed Forces, General Gheorghiță Vlad, the Chief of the General Staff of the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia, Lieutenant General Vasko Djurchinovski, and the Deputy Commander of JFC Naples, Lieutenant General Stephen Kelsey, with whom he will discuss the scope of bilateral military-to-military cooperation and possibilities of its further improvement.
The Balkan Countries CHODs Conference brings together defence chiefs of armed forces of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Serbia, North Macedonia, Türkiye and Montenegro, with the aim of strengthening military-to-military cooperation between the Balkan countries and models for responding to contemporary security challenges, risks and threats. This year’s forum was attended by the Chief of the General Staff of the Slovenian Armed Forces and representatives of the European Union, NATO and the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia as guests.Belgrade hosted the BCHODs Conference in 2009 and 2018, while the host of the 18th Conference, to be held next year, will be the Republic of Türkiye.
