09.09.2016.

Meetings with senior officials of the United Kingdom

Defence Minister Zoran Djordjevic, with the delegation of the Ministry of Defence, participates in the London Conference on the United Nations Peacekeeping.

During his stay in London, Minister Djordjevic had several meetings with senior officials of the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence and Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

During the talks with Mr Nick Gurr, United Kingdom Ministry of Defence Director for International Security Policy and Lieutenant General Sir Gordon Messenger, Vice Chief of the Defence Staff of the United Kingdom, Minister Djordjevic thanked on the overall British contribution to the development of the modern democratic Serbia. He pointed out that cooperation in the field of defence is the best part of the overall bilateral relations between the two countries. Although the United Kingdom is a respectable partner, the actual impact of the support provided by the British side in the defence reform, capacity building, restructuring and approximation to the European Union, as well as in the most difficult moments after the catastrophic floods, is much higher, for which the people of Serbia is truly grateful. He stressed that, for the purpose of countering the common security risks and threats, both sides need to make further efforts to improve and deepen cooperation in the field of defence. He pointed out that history is the best indicator of the traditional relations and alliance between the two states that lasts almost two centuries and that the London Conference just opens up the possibility for discussions on the modalities of joint engagement in some of the UN peacekeeping operations.

Minister Djordjevic conveyed to Mr Gurr that Serbia appreciates the support of the United Kingdom within the framework of the Serbia-NATO Defence Reform Group and thanked for its leading role in the NATO Trust Fund for the destruction of surplus conventional ammunition, whose opening is expected in late September this year. Minister Djordjevic said that the Ministry of Defence paid special attention to the development of the defence industry and expressed the hope that the promotion of cooperation in this area at various levels be discussed during the visit of Mr Gurr to Belgrade. He proposed a continuation of the courses in the field of building integrity in multinational operations and during the procurement process.

The Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces are permanently committed to the intensification and substantial improvement of military cooperation, and the culmination of the cooperation of the land forces are joint military exercises, Minister Djordjevic said during the talks with General Messenger. It was noted that for Serbia, joint participation in military medical exercises and attending courses in the field of war surgery and preventive medicine would be essential. He offered facilities of the South base for conducting training courses of British Mobilization Training Advisory Team (BMATT) for the participation in multinational operations. He expressed his expectation that the planned visit of General Messenger to Serbia would open a new chapter in the relations between the two armies, during which they would define modalities for improving military-to-military cooperation.

Minister Djordjevic also met with Mr Simon McDonald, Permanent Under-Secretary at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.