18.07.2024.
Visit from Italian Chief of Defence
At the invitation of the Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff, General Milan Mojsilović, the Chief of Defence of the Italian Republic, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, is paying a return visit to our country.
Admiral Dragone visited the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff today, where he discussed the current security situation in the world and the region with General Mojsilović, with an emphasis on Kosovo and Metohija, as well as bilateral defence cooperation.It was concluded at the meeting that the cooperation was comprehensive, mutually beneficial and founded on the principles of equality and mutual regard, with full respect for the military neutrality of the Republic of Serbia.
Building and preserving regional and global peace through participation in peacekeeping operations, training, education and military-economic cooperation were singled out as areas of mutual interest.The deployment of Serbian and Italian soldiers with the United Nations peacekeeping operation in Lebanon, as well as the participation of the Serbian Armed Forces in the European Union military operations, was also highlighted and positively assessed.
Speaking about the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, which he assessed as unstable and sensitive, General Mojsilović said that the Serbian Armed Forces regarded KFOR as the only legitimate security actor in the Province. He conveyed to his Italian counterpart the expectation that the international force in our province, in which the contingent of the Italian Armed Forces plays a significant role, would fully and impartially implement its mandate and provide the necessary protection to the Serbian population.Admiral Dragone was also received by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Serbia, Miloš Vučević, and the Minister of Defence, Bratislav Gašić, in separate meetings today.
General Mojsilović paid an official visit to Italy, at the invitation of Admiral Dragone, in April last year. Such high-level contacts contribute to the strengthening of mutual trust and understanding and provide an incentive for further improvement of bilateral defence cooperation.