Serbia opened an office in the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday as part of the Partnership for Peace program.

Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac told reporters that a number of members of the Serbian Armed Forces are expected to be assigned to the office in the months to come.

Sutanovac said that this will be “a permanent mission aimed at bringing Serbia closer to all the countries that are part of this NATO program.”

Sutanovac said that Serbia has made significant progress since 2006 when it joined the NATO Partnership for Peace program.

He said that Serbia has been reforming its military for some time now to adapt it to world standards. The head of the military department at the new office is Brig. Gen. Nebojsa Djukanovic, while Branislav Milinkovic is the Serbian Ambassador to NATO.

Sutanovac also cautioned that a slowing down of the West Balkans’ process of Euro-integration would lead to a destabilization of the region and expose it to the risk of becoming once again “a black hole” of the European continent.

“The region of the West Balkans is making evident progress in different reforms, as well as in the European integration process,” Sutanovac said.

He warned of certain safety problems that have remained from the past and still affect the political developments in the region and wider with the Kosovo status as the starter.

US Ambassador in Belgrade Mary Warlick welcomed the changes Serbia has made in the field of defense. She said that Serbia’s “integration” into the global safety network is the best way for establishing an exchange of information with the United States and the countries in Europe.

Warlick noted that she is aware of the fact that cooperation with NATO is a very difficult and sensitive matter for Serbia.

September 28, 2010
SERBIANNA

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