Serbia and Poland sign military cooperation plan

BELGRADE - The ministries of defence of Serbia and Poland have signed the 2014 military cooperation plan in Belgrade.

Representative of the head of the Serbian Defence Ministry department for international cooperation Colonel Milan Konjikovac and Polish defence envoy to Belgrade Colonel Jerzy Stepancik signed the document, the Serbian Defence Ministry said on Friday.

Cooperation in education, airforce medicine, archives and religious services is at the focus of the plan, the statement says.

Konjikovac thanked Poland for help during the recent floods in Serbia, which was also discussed by the two countries' defence minister, Bratislav Gasic and Tomasz Siemoniak.

He commended the professional attitude of the Polish troops within KFOR, adding that he expected Poland to maintain the size of its forces in Kosovo.

According to Konjikovac, the Defence Ministry expects Poland to pass on its experience regarding the security and defence aspects of EU accession, and it is also interested in experiences in training and participation in international operations.

Stepancik said the greatest number of activities planned for 2014 referred to military education, adding that it was a result of very good cooperation between the two countries' defence universities.

The presence of Serbian military observers at the Anaconda 2014 Polish Armed Forces' exercise will help improve the cooperation between the two armies, the two officers said, according to the Serbian Defence Ministry.

The cooperation can develop through exchange of experience from peace missions, participation in EU battle groups and cooperation in artillery training.