Šutanovac: NATO not on agenda

Defense and Energy Ministers Dragan Sutanovac and Petar Skundric were in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on Wednesday, meeting with senior officials. Sutanovac said after meeting with Slovenian counterpart Ljubica Jelusic, that Serbia currently had no plans to apply for NATO membership. Sutanovac: NATO not on agenda He told a press conference in Ljubljana that Serbia’s parliament had adopted a declaration of military neutrality in 2007, but added that it had yet to draw the full benefits from the Partnership for Peace program. “We have not exploited the full capacities of the Partnership for Peace, we still have to open an office. NATO is still not on the agenda in Serbia, but the topic of participation in the PfP is, and I think that there are great capacities, both in Serbia and within the framework of the partnership, that are yet to come to the surface and be exploited,” Sutanovac said. “Membership in NATO is farther away and, currently, we are not thinking about it,” he said, adding that Serbia was still intent on achieving the same military standards as NATO, those being the highest military standards in the world. His talks with his Slovenian counterpart included an exchange of experience in participation in peacekeeping operations. Sutanovac said that Serbia was not happy about having a peacekeeping mission on its territory, but was aware that it was, first and foremost, a peace mission, under KFOR auspices, for which Serbia was thankful to Slovenia also, which has a contingent of 380 soldiers guaranteeing security for Albanians and Serbs living in Kosovo. Jelusic said that she was satisfied with the talks, pointing out that Sutanovac was the first foreign minister to visit Slovenia during her mandate, and indeed the first Serbian defense minister to visit her country, making it the first time the new Serbian national anthem had been heard in Slovenia. The ministers signed an agreement for cooperation in the defense and military sectors, and discussed specific forms of cooperation. Sutanovac opened the possibility for Slovenian soldiers to receive training at the Serbian military academy. There was also talk of military diplomacy and Serbia’s desire to open a PfP office, an area where Slovenia could be of help, and of Slovenia’s experience in military reforms and NATO membership. Sutanovac said that he was thankful for the help that Slovenia had offered to Serbia on its path to European integration and abolishing the visa regime, because “it is a very good way to show our respect for one another and to support each other, especially in a situation where Serbia needs support for its European path.” During his two-day visit to Slovenia, Sutanovac will be meeting with Prime Minister Borut Pahor and Chairman of the Slovenian Parliamentary Defense Council Jozef Jerovsek. Later, Serbian Energy Minister Skundric will try to persuade his Slovenian counterparts to support the construction of a pan-European oil pipeline. Ljubica Jelusic, Dragan Sutanovac (FoNet)

Šutanovac: NATO not on agenda

He told a press conference in Ljubljana that Serbia’s parliament had adopted a declaration of military neutrality in 2007, but added that it had yet to draw the full benefits from the Partnership for Peace program.

“We have not exploited the full capacities of the Partnership for Peace, we still have to open an office. NATO is still not on the agenda in Serbia, but the topic of participation in the PfP is, and I think that there are great capacities, both in Serbia and within the framework of the partnership, that are yet to come to the surface and be exploited,” Šutanovac said.

“Membership in NATO is farther away and, currently, we are not thinking about it,” he said, adding that Serbia was still intent on achieving the same military standards as NATO, those being the highest military standards in the world.

His talks with his Slovenian counterpart included an exchange of experience in participation in peacekeeping operations.

Šutanovac said that Serbia was not happy about having a peacekeeping mission on its territory, but was aware that it was, first and foremost, a peace mission, under KFOR auspices, for which Serbia was thankful to Slovenia also, which has a contingent of 380 soldiers guaranteeing security for Albanians and Serbs living in Kosovo.

Jelušić said that she was satisfied with the talks, pointing out that Šutanovac was the first foreign minister to visit Slovenia during her mandate, and indeed the first Serbian defense minister to visit her country, making it the first time the new Serbian national anthem had been heard in Slovenia.

The ministers signed an agreement for cooperation in the defense and military sectors, and discussed specific forms of cooperation.

Šutanovac opened the possibility for Slovenian soldiers to receive training at the Serbian military academy.

There was also talk of military diplomacy and Serbia’s desire to open a PfP office, an area where Slovenia could be of help, and of Slovenia’s experience in military reforms and NATO membership.

Šutanovac said that he was thankful for the help that Slovenia had offered to Serbia on its path to European integration and abolishing the visa regime, because “it is a very good way to show our respect for one another and to support each other, especially in a situation where Serbia needs support for its European path.”

During his two-day visit to Slovenia, Šutanovac will be meeting with Prime Minister Borut Pahor and Chairman of the Slovenian Parliamentary Defense Council Jožef Jerovšek.

Later, Serbian Energy Minister Škundrić will try to persuade his Slovenian counterparts to support the construction of a pan-European oil pipeline.