BELGRADE, Serbia: The primary joint NATO-Serbia army workouts are beneath approach within the Balkan nation, the defence ministry mentioned Tuesday (Could 12), marking a major cooperation with a rustic the Alliance as soon as bombed.
Round 600 troops from Serbia, Italy, Romania and Türkiye are participating within the “NATO-Serbia” train, alongside army planners and observers from a number of Alliance international locations, the ministry mentioned.
It’s the first army train carried out straight with NATO, which stays a delicate topic in Serbia following the Alliance’s 1999 air marketing campaign in opposition to Yugoslavia in the course of the Kosovo warfare.
Pictures launched Tuesday confirmed Serbian and NATO troopers now standing facet by facet at a army coaching floor close to Bujanovac in southern Serbia, alongside armoured autos from each forces.
The tactical train will run till Could 23 beneath NATO’s Partnership for Peace programme, which Belgrade mentioned “respects Serbia’s army neutrality”.
“The cooperation is geared toward preserving peace and stability within the area,” the ministry mentioned.
Serbia is among the few Balkan international locations not within the Alliance, with Belgrade insisting on a long-held coverage of neutrality whereas having fun with shut ties with each NATO and Russia.
