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Portugal will not cut its KFOR forces without talking with Serbia

Belgrade, 16 March 2010

Minister of Defence Dragan Sutanovac stated today that he was assured by Portuguese officials that KFOR’s Portuguese troops will not be reduced without previous consultations with Belgrade.

Author: Beta

Sutanovac, who is on an official visit to Portugal, stated following a meeting with Portuguese officials that Portugal will not unilaterally reduce the number of its soldiers in KFOR, which is very important for Serbia because of the security situation in Kosovo-Metohija and the region.

NATO Supreme Allied Commander in Europe Admiral James Stavridis recently told me that the reduction of the troops in Kosovo-Metohija will be carried out only in consultation with Belgrade. We were assured today that Portugal will not cut its forces in Kosovo-Metohija on its own, which means a greater degree of security for the people living there, the Minister said.

Following a meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs Luís Amado, Minister for National Defence Augusto Santos Silva and President of the Portuguese National Assembly Jaime Gama, Sutanovac said they concluded that their stances regarding Kosovo-Metohija’s future status differ.

He also said he thanked his collocutors for the participation of Portuguese troops in KFOR, specifying that the Portuguese troops are the largest individual contingent in the Serbian province.

Sutanovac noted that the conclusion that can be drawn from their meetings is that Serbia is doing its best regarding the EU integration process, for which it has Portugal’s support.

We also discussed Serbia’s defence system reform, Sutanovac said adding that it is beneficial for Serbia to hear that it fulfils the necessary criteria and that it has Portugal’s support on that matter.

There is a good platform for improving the relations between the two countries in defence, Sutanovac said explaining that it is possible to further the cooperation in military medicine, military education, peace operations and the military industry.

Sutanovac said that both countries have developed their military industries and by improving their cooperation they could create the conditions for joint participation in third markets.

Cooperation in defence is the pillar of cooperation between Serbia and Portugal, Sutanovac concluded adding that Chief of the Serbian Army General Staff Miloje Miletic has been invited to visit Portugal this year, while Portuguese Minister for National Defence Augusto Santos Silva has accepted an invitation to come to Serbia.