06.04.2016.
Minister of Defence meets the Ambassador of France
Defence Minister Zoran Djordjevic and Ambassador of France Kristin Moro discussed the possibilities for further enhancement of defence cooperation between the two countries.At the meeting it was concluded that cooperation between Serbia and France is intensive and can represent an encouragement for other countries of the European Union to see Serbia as a reliable partner for the participation in building peace in the world.
Traditionally stable and friendly relations between the two countries were supported by the Strategic Partnership Agreement, where the third chapter is devoted to the field of defence. The agreement was the framework for the first engagement of Serbia within the framework of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (Operation Atalanta), and a crown of cooperation is joint training and participation in peacekeeping operations. Therefore, Minister Djordjevic thanked for the continued logistic support to members of the Serbian Autonomous Vessel Protection Detachment at the French military base in Djibouti, as part of EUNAVFOR-ATALANTA Operation.
Also, the Defence Minister stressed that in the conditions of the restrictive budgetary policy it is necessary to strongly support further improvement of military economic and scientific-technical cooperation.
Djordjevic said that is particularly important that France retained a clear position of support for Serbia's EU membership and thanked that country for its support to the opening of the first chapters in the negotiations. Specifically, through the process of European integration, Serbia also expresses its willingness to build capacities and capabilities of the national security and defence in the spirit of the European concept, which is demonstrated in the way it participated in addressing the migratory crisis.Serbia seeks to act as a responsible member of the international community and to provide an adequate response to any current crisis, assume its share of the burden and share the responsibility, so in this regard it will react in the fight against terrorism as well.
Because of the current widespread world security threats, in addition to the EU accession process, Serbia's priority is regional cooperation and strengthening regional stability as well.
