Deputy Minister met Chief of Staff of Serbian Armed Forces

The discussion on the meeting was on the defence cooperation between the two countries, strengthening security and stability in the region and on the exchange of views on the participation in international military and peacekeeping operations.

The Deputy Minister stressed the good bilateral defence cooperation and expressed the desire to continue it in the future and to retain the European course of Serbia after the recent formation of a new government. “Depending on financial circumstances, the Republic of Croatia is open for expansion of the bilateral cooperation, and bilateral military cooperation plan for 2012 have been implemented very well. This year we opened a new area of ​​cooperation between the two river flotillas”, Višnja Tafra said. She pointed out that Croatia was of opinion that strengthening good neighbourly relations in the region was the basic prerequisite for achieving lasting security and sustainable stability and cooperation in Southeast Europe.

With congratulations on obtained Serbia’s EU candidate status, the Deputy Minister expressed her hope that the new Serbian government would continue reforms on the path to the EU. “Exactly the status of EU candidate country should strengthen Serbia’s efforts to continue these reforms with the aim of getting the green light to start accession negotiations”, Višnja Tafra said, adding that Croatia in this context was willing to provide assistance to Serbia through the transfer of their experiences in implementing reforms . “Croatia will remain committed to building an open and constructive dialogue with Serbia in order to maintain stability, security and peace in the region. In light of these efforts, Croatia has no intention to bring bilateral issues in the negotiation process of the neighbouring countries with the European Union”, Tafra said.

Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces Ljubiša Diković said that the policy of constant improvement of Serbian regional cooperation would not change, regardless of the recent political changes in staffing at executive-level and in the defence system. “Serbia continues to see a common future of countries in the region, based on the good bilateral cooperation with each neighbouring country.

I discussed with the Chief of General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces Lieutenant General Drago Lovrić about the possibility of participation of members of the Serbian Armed Forces in the EU battle groups as well as all possible modes of defence cooperation, which gives a significant boost to the Agreement on cooperation in the field of defence that Croatia and Serbia signed in 2010″, Diković said, emphasizing that their ambition was a constant presence in the United Nations peacekeeping missions through which at the end of next year thy plan to engage about 600 people .

Both sides agreed that bilateral cooperation in the future should be strengthen in the field of defence industry. In this sense, they generally agreed that a team of experts would examine the modalities of a joint approach towards third countries.