Serbia to Host NATO Disaster-Response Exercise

Serbia is to host a NATO emergency situations exercise from October 8 to 11 in Mladenovac, near Belgrade, in which 30 countries will take part with about 1,000 participants.

"The aim of the exercise is to improve interoperability in international disaster response operations," the NATO website said, adding that the exercise will simulate an earthquake situation.

"The scenario … provides an opportunity to practice international cooperation and strengthen the ability of teams from different nations to work effectively together across a wide range of relief operations," NATO said.

The operations include urban search and rescue, medical and paramedical teams, chemical biological radiological nuclear protection, as well as decontamination teams and water rescue teams, it added.

Meanwhile, Serbian media have focused more on a new military deal between Serbia and China.

Deputy Defence Minister Nenad Miloradovic told Serbia's Tanjug news agency on September 18 that Serbia had agreed to buy sophisticated weapons and military technology from China "which almost no country in its surroundings has".

He said new combat drones will have the ability to scout, discover targets by day and at night, as well as the option of firing laser-guided bombs and rockets.

"That is capability that only the most capable militaries of the world have, which the Serbian Army will have now at its disposal," Miloradovic added.

The agreed deal, he said, will also include industrial cooperation and technology transfer.

The Serbian Army recently displayed the MIG jets it received earlier as a donation from Russia. However, the Defence Ministry has had to spend millions on their modernization.

In April,...