First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Ivica Dacic received today General Petr Pavel, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, who is on an official visit to the Republic of Serbia.
Minister Dacic reiterated the position of the Republic of Serbia that it was a militarily neutral country with no aspirations to NATO membership; however, it did wish to be a reliable and predictable NATO partner, and take the opportunities available through Partnership for Peace mechanisms to further strengthen its cooperation with NATO.
General Pavel underlined that NATO fully respected the sovereign decision of the Republic of Serbia regarding its military neutrality and assessed that neutrality was not an obstacle to the development of partner cooperation based on individual needs of each country, mutual interests and shared values, as exemplified in the cooperation between NATO and neutral European partner countries.
The interlocutors noted the need to maintain the spirit of good relations, bearing in mind that there was a number of issues that Serbia and NATO had a shared interest in and where their cooperation was possible, such as the fight against international terrorism and the migration crisis. They emphasized that the goal they both aspired to was a stable and prosperous Balkans in a stable and prosperous Europe.
Chairman of the NATO Military Committee commended the Republic of Serbia for its contribution to regional stability and security, and the pragmatic policy pursued by the Serbian Government along these lines.
The meeting also highlighted Serbia’s successful cooperation with KFOR, and its expectation for KFOR’s undiminished presence in the Province, as the guarantor of security and implementation of the Brussels Agreement.
