EDA Chief Executive Claude-France Arnould travelled to Belgrade on 24 November to discuss cooperation opportunities with the Republic of Serbia.
At the invitation of Mr. Zoran Đordević, State Secretary, she attended high-level meetings with a number of defence officials including Mr. Bratislav Gasic, Defence Minister, as well as the State Secretary and a number of other officials from the Serbian Ministry of Defence.
Claude-France Arnould received briefings on the Republic of Serbia’s engagement in Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) missions, as well as on the operational, technological and industrial capabilities of the country.
One of the main objectives of this visit was to assess the implementation of the administrative arrangement signed in December 2013 by the European Defence Agency and the Republic of Serbia. Both parties identified tangible cooperation opportunities in a number of fields, including Counter-Improvised explosive devices (C-IED) initiatives, protection against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) threats, medical support and unmanned ground systems. Serbia also expressed its interest in benefitting from the Agency’s support to better understand European Union policies on topics such as security of supply, research & technology and defence procurement.