MLO Belgrade  /  Newsroom  /  News Archive  /  2021  /  Serbian Chief of Staff General Mosilovic meets with Admiral Burke, JFC Naples Commander

BELGRADE - The Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, General Milan Mojsilović, met today with the Allied Joint Force Command Naples Commander, Admiral Robert Burke, who was visiting the Republic of Serbia.

The meeting took place at the Serbian Armed Forces Headquarters in Belgrade. During the meeting, General Mojsilovic and Admiral Burke discussed the current security situation in the region and the cooperation between the Serbian Armed Forces and the Allied Joint Force Command, with a focus on the implementation of joint activities in the field of training and exercises. 

Participation of Serbian officers in multinational peacekeeping missions is a joint success

"The participation of Serbian officers in multinational peacekeeping missions is something I consider to be a joint success, as it is NATO’s capacity-building activities that helped enable Serbia to reach the required level of interoperability to successfully participate in peacekeeping missions worldwide" - said JFC Naples Commander, Admiral Burke, underlining that in fact, NATO personnel and mobile training teams from JFC Naples are the ones that come to Serbia in order to provide special training and capacity building activities that help Serbian Armed Forces reach the needed level of interoperability that enables them to take part in UN and EU peacekeeping mission.

Chief of General Staff, Serbian Armed Forces, General Milan Mojsilović and Admiral Robert Burke, JFC Naples Commander.

Chief of General Staff, Serbian Armed Forces, General Milan Mojsilović and Admiral Robert Burke, JFC Naples Commander.

When it comes to the level of cooperation between Serbian Armed Forces and NATO, both agreed that the cooperation between the SAF and the JFC Naples is intensive and meaningful, and that they hope and expect them to continue to develop in a positive manner within the Partnership for Peace and with the full respect for the military neutrality of the Republic of Serbia.

Since the international forces in Kosovo fall under the responsibility of the Allied Joint Force Command Naples, General Mojsilović underlined the importance of KFOR, its presence and its role in preserving peace and security in Kosovo, as well as its contribution with respect to the protection of cultural, historical and religious heritage in Kosovo.

Chief of General Staff, Serbian Armed Forces, General Milan Mojsilović and Admiral Robert Burke, JFC Naples Commander.

Admiral Burke agreed that a stable Kosovo is essential for stability in the region and for our own security and that for more than two decades, peace and stability in Kosovo have been a priority for NATO. He also assured his Serbian colleague that the UN mandate for KFOR's peacekeeping mission – which derives from the UN Security Council Resolution 1244 of 1999 – remains unchanged. 

Security is a cooperative, team effort, the ability to work together toward a common vision: A safe and prosperous region

It was agreed that KFOR has established excellent dialogue with its Serbian interlocutors and that having direct channels of communication with Serbia’s Chief of Defence, General Milan Mojsilovic has proved very useful, for which Admiral Burke thanked his colleague. These channels have been really valuable and help ensure mutual understanding and deconfliction. 

"Security is a cooperative, team effort, so we work closely with all security partners. Teamwork is the ability to work together toward a common vision: A safe and prosperous region" - concluded Admiral Burke.

Chief of General Staff, Serbian Armed Forces, General Milan Mojsilović and Admiral Robert Burke, JFC Naples Commander