Bilateral consultations in the field of security and defence between the Republic of Serbia and the United Kingdom

A round of bilateral consultations between the Foreign and Defence Ministries of the two countries in the field of security and defence was held in London on 23 January 2023. The delegations of the two countries were headed by Dijana Ivancic, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia for Security Policy, and Victoria Billing, Director for Southeast Europe at the Foreign Office.

The participants on our side were Predrag Bandic, Acting Assistant Minister for Defence Policy, and Jagoda Lazarevic, Acting Assistant Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy.

The Serbian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Aleksandra Joksimovic, and the British Ambassador in Belgrade, Sian MacLeod, took part in the consultations, while they were joined in a part of their deliberations by Lord Peach, UK Prime Minister's Special Envoy to the Western Balkans, Edward Ferguson, newly appointed Ambassador of the United Kingdom in Belgrade, and Nenad Miloradovic, Assistant Defence Minister for Material Resources.

In a constructive atmosphere, the interlocutors discussed issues of common interest: opportunities for the promotion of bilateral relations, intensification of dialogue at the high and top levels, strengthening cooperation in the field of defence, trade and investment potentials of the two countries, energy security, etc. They also discussed the situation in the region, support for the process of integration of the Republic of Serbia into the European Union, as well as the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.