Brnabic meets with Stoltenberg

BELGRADE - Serbian PM Ana Brnabic met with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Belgrade on Tuesday to discuss cooperation with NATO, ensuring of safety and security to Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija and continued implementation of joint projects.

Brnabic noted that she appreciated NATO's position when it comes to Serbia's military neutrality and that both Serbia and NATO had an interest in, and needed to continue, a positive agenda and further advancement of their partnership cooperation in mutual interest, the Serbian government said in a statement.

"We support the engagement of the International Security Force (Kfor) in the Province in the implementation of the mandate based on UNSCR 1244 and in ensuring safety and security to Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija," she said.

Speaking about cooperation in areas beyond the purely military sphere, Brnabic said she was especially pleased with activities carried out in a partnership cooperation programmes with NATO, such as projects of cooperation in science and technology through NATO's Science for Peace and Security programme.

She noted that maintaining stability in the region and the orientation of all countries in the region towards as intensive cooperation as possible in all areas were a crucial interest of Serbia.

Stoltenberg noted that he highly respected Serbia and that NATO was able to cooperate with Serbian officials while respecting Serbia's neutrality.

He underscored the significance of the cooperation with Serbia that has been underway as part of the Partnership for Peace programme since 2006.

The meeting was also attended by Serbian FM Ivica Dacic, Defence Minister Milos Vucevic and Serbian Armed Forces Chief of General Staff Gen Milan Mojsilovic.