MLO Belgrade  /  Newsroom  /  News Archive  /  2024  /  "NATO & PARTNERS 2024: Through Trust to Lasting Peace"

The event "NATO & PARTNERS 2024: Through Trust to Lasting Peace", organized by NATO MLO Belgrade and supported by the Norwegian Embassy in Belgrade, was held in Belgrade on December 17, 2024. The event included the NATO MLO Belgrade Change of Command Ceremony (CoC), followed by two conference panels, a photo exhibition and a reception. The event was attended by numerous guests, including representatives of Serbian Prime Minister's Office, Serbian Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NATO countries' ambassadors, as well as NGO and media representatives and other stakeholders.

The Change of Command Ceremony presided over by the JFC Naples Commander Admiral Stuart Munsch saw Brigadier General Pierluigi Lodola taking over as Chief of NATO MLO Belgrade from Brigadier General Giampiero Romano. During the Ceremony, Admiral Munsch thanked BG Romano for his valuable service and contribution to the advancement of NATO-Serbia partnership, wishing BG Lodola success during his endeavour as new Chief of NATO MLO Belgrade.

JFC Naples Commander Admiral Munsch hands over the NATO MLO Belgrade flag to the new Chief MLO Belgrade, Brigadier General Lodola 

The conference that followed consisted of two panels: “NATO’s 75-Year Legacy and Partnership Anniversaries” and “NATO and Serbia: Political, Military and Scientific Cooperation in the Face of Emerging Threats”. These panels saw the participation of ambassadors and representatives of NATO member and partner countries embassies, as well as Serbian MFA representatives. 

The panel 2 was moderated by Minister Councilor Saša Kostić, Deputy Assistant Minister for Security Policy in the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

The first panel, moderated by Norwegian Ambassador, H.E. Kristin Melsom, addressed key milestones NATO celebrates this year – 75-year anniversary of the Alliance, 30 years of Partnership for Peace of Programme, 30 years of the Mediterannean Dialogue, 20 years of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, as well as NATO’s partnerships across the globe. Apart from the Norwegian Ambassador, the panelists were Ambassador of the U.S., H.E. Christopher Hill, Deputy Head of Mission in the UK Embassy, Mr. Dominic Otway, Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of France, Mr. Fatih Akcal, Ambassador of Kuwait, H.E. Fayez Mejbel S.F. Almutairi, and Deputy Head of Japan’s Mission to NATO, Minister Kohei Nakamura. The speakers at the second panel, dedicated to NATO-Serbia cooperation and moderated by Minister Councillor Saša Kostić, Deputy Assistant Minister for Security Policy in the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, were Mr. James Appathurai, NATO Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Innovation, Hybrid, and Cyber, Ambassador Igor Kuželka, Acting Assistant Minister for Security Policy, Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Anke Konrad, Ambassador of Germany, H.E. Niklas Lindqvist, Ambassador of Finland, and BG Giampiero Romano, outgoing Chief NATO MLO Belgrade.

The panel 2 was moderated by Norwegian Ambassador in Serbia, H.E. Kristin Melsom

Before the event, the JFC Naples Commander Admiral Munsch had separate meetings with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Serbian Armed Forces Chief of Defence General Milan Mojsilovic.