“Cooperation with Croatian army necessary”

Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac announced that Serbia and Croatia will sign a defense cooperation agreement in June. He said that the signing of agreements between the ministries of the two countries should lead to a road of final reconciliation. “Cooperation with Croatian army necessary” Sutanovac said that the best path to reconciliation is through united exercises, both in Serbia and outside the country’s borders. “Even though our past is burdened with many victims, we want to show that the two armies are not enemy armies and that they can contribute not only to regional, but also global security,” he told daily Politika. “Every agreement on cooperation leads to the solving of problems, and every criticism of such an agreement is a lack of understanding for problems that can be solved through dialogue. I am aware that that the past is still burdening relations between the two countries today, but I am convinced that this agreement will contribute to the stabilization and quicker solving of problems which are not related solely to defense issues,” Sutanovac said. He said that the Defense Ministry has agreements signed with all regional countries, adding that threats of terrorism and organized crime do not choose what country, border or ethnicity they affect. “If we do not increase security cooperation on the territory of the former Yugoslavia, either through police, army, or information agency cooperation, every country will be just as endangered, no matter how much it isolates itself and does not wants to cooperate,” he said. Dragan Sutanovac (archive)

“Cooperation with Croatian army necessary”

Šutanovac said that the best path to reconciliation is through united exercises, both in Serbia and outside the country’s borders.

“Even though our past is burdened with many victims, we want to show that the two armies are not enemy armies and that they can contribute not only to regional, but also global security,” he told daily Politika.

“Every agreement on cooperation leads to the solving of problems, and every criticism of such an agreement is a lack of understanding for problems that can be solved through dialogue. I am aware that that the past is still burdening relations between the two countries today, but I am convinced that this agreement will contribute to the stabilization and quicker solving of problems which are not related solely to defense issues,” Šutanovac said.

He said that the Defense Ministry has agreements signed with all regional countries, adding that threats of terrorism and organized crime do not choose what country, border or ethnicity they affect.

“If we do not increase security cooperation on the territory of the former Yugoslavia, either through police, army, or information agency cooperation, every country will be just as endangered, no matter how much it isolates itself and does not wants to cooperate,” he said.