Serbia and NATO, joint military exercises for the first time since the war in Kosovo. Romania is also present at the maneuvers
Approximately 600 soldiers from Serbia, Romania, Italy and Turkey are currently participating in a joint NATO-Serbia military exercise organized in the Borovac range, near the town of Bujanovac, in southern Serbia.
NATO military exercise PHOTO: Archive
The military maneuvers, considered historic, represent the first exercise conducted directly between Serbia and the North Atlantic Alliance, writes Mediafax.
The exercises began on Tuesday and will run until May 23, bringing together military personnel, planners and observers from France, Germany, Italy, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the United States. The activities are organized within the NATO program “Partnership for Peace”, of which Serbia has been a part for almost two decades.
Photos released by Serbian authorities show NATO and Serbian army soldiers conducting joint training alongside armored vehicles and modern military equipment.
NATO-Serbia joint military exercise to maintain regional stability
According to the Ministry of Defense of Serbia, the NATO-Serbia joint military exercise aims to strengthen regional cooperation and maintain peace in the Balkans. The training scenarios are inspired by real peacekeeping missions and aim to improve coordination between the participating troops.
Commander of the British Royal Navy, Ian Kewley, said that the planning of the exercise represented an effective example of collaboration between NATO and the Serbian Armed Forces.
“Both NATO and the Serbian Armed Forces have a long tradition of planning major international exercises, so the teams were able to collaborate and operate smoothly, sharing ideas and experience,” the British official said.
The North Atlantic Alliance considers these maneuvers important for strengthening dialogue and stability in the Western Balkans region, in a sensitive geopolitical context.
Sensitive subject after the war in Kosovo
The NATO-Serbia joint military exercise is taking place in a sensitive context for Serbian society. NATO remains a sensitive issue in Serbia after the 1999 bombing campaign against the former Yugoslavia during the Kosovo conflict.
Serbia also does not recognize Kosovo's independence, and a NATO-led peacekeeping force has been stationed in the region since the end of the war.
Currently, Serbia continues to maintain its policy of military neutrality, trying to maintain balanced relations with both NATO and Russia. Over the past decade, Belgrade has significantly modernized its military by purchasing weapons from NATO member states, but also from Russia and China.
A NATO official told AFP that the exercise is being conducted “in full compliance with Serbia's declared policy of military neutrality.”
