Serbia is conducting joint military exercises with NATO for the first time
Serbia has launched its first-ever joint military exercises with NATO, which will run through May 23. Approximately 600 military personnel from Serbia, Italy, Romania, and Turkey are participating in the exercises, along with observers from several NATO countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany. The exercises are taking place at the Borovac training ground near Bujanovac and are aimed at practicing peacekeeping operation tactics and exchanging experience.
This was reported by the country’s Ministry of Defense.
“During the two-week field exercises, tactics, methods, and procedures used in peacekeeping operations will be practiced, such as base security, checkpoint operations, crowd control, and urban combat,” the Serbian military stated. They also added that the exercises are a continuation of “mutually beneficial, concrete, and transparent cooperation between Serbia and NATO within the framework of the Partnership for Peace program.” At the same time, the ministry emphasized that the North Atlantic Alliance respects the country’s military neutrality.
As a reminder, Serbia wants EU membership but has no intention of “begging” for it, according to the foreign minister.
The European Commission planned to accelerate the accession of six Western Balkan countries to the European Union. In 2018, it was expected that Serbia and Montenegro would join the union by 2025.
The German Chancellor stated that the European Union should grant accession to the Western Balkan countries, Ukraine, Moldova, and eventually Georgia.
