NATO, through a press release, has announced the completion of the first joint exercise with Serbian forces. The announcement states that this exercise marks an important moment of practical cooperation between NATO and Serbia within the framework of the Partnership for Peace.

“During two weeks, approximately 600 troops from NATO allied countries trained together with the personnel of the Serbian Armed Forces, in a series of fictitious scenarios designed to strengthen professional military cooperation and improve coordination. The exercise brought together military personnel from Serbia, Italy, Romania, Turkey, France, Germany, Montenegro, the United Kingdom and the United States, focusing on peace support operations in a multinational environment,” the NATO communique says.

The Commander of the Allied Joint Forces Command in Naples, Admiral George M. Wikoff, has described the exercise as an outstanding success.

“This exercise demonstrated the professionalism, expertise and readiness of the NATO Forces. Serbian armed forces working together with allied forces. By training together, we build mutual trust and strengthen our ability to effectively respond to common security challenges. We have all been working on this for a long time and I am personally pleased that the exercise has been such a great success for all involved and a great moment as we build our future together partnership.”, he said.

NATO emphasizes that the exercise “was carried out in full respect of the declared policy of military neutrality of Serbia and reflects the long-term practical cooperation between NATO and Serbia”. NATO General for Political Affairs and Security Policy, Ambassador Kevin Hamilton. “As we look forward, NATO is ready to further develop our relations with Serbia. In full respect of its stated policy of military neutrality,” added Wikoff.

Source: prizrenpost