Moldova "will not recognize Kosovo," says minister

The minister was addressing a meeting with representatives of the Serbian Parliamentary Committee on Defense and Internal Affairs.He spoke with Chairman of the Committee Dušan Bajatovic and member of that parliamentary body Konstantin Samofalov, the Serbian parliament said in a release.During the meeting, officials voiced willingness to improve bilateral cooperation, and readiness to sign an agreement on cooperation in the field of defense soon. The officials noted that both countries have the same goal - EU accession, and Moldova's defense minister said that Serbia has made progress in that respect, adding that it is in the interest of Moldova to learn from its experiences.During the meeting, the officials also discussed the ways in which the countries could respond to various security challenges, risks, threats, as well as participation in international peacekeeping missions.The officials concluded that one of the priorities has to be the focus on the major security challenges of today, such as terrorism, human trafficking, money laundering Previously, Serbian Defense Minister Nebojsa Rodic and his Moldovan counterpart signed an agreement on defense cooperation between the governments of the two countries, which created the legal framework for future activities in defense areas of mutual interest. According to a release from the Serbian Defense Ministry, the two ministers expressed interest in taking necessary measures to further develop bilateral military cooperation and strengthen partnership and friendly relations between the two countries.Rodić thanked Marinuta for Moldova's decision to deploy a total of 41 of its army members as part of the Italian KFOR contingent.During the two-day visit by the Moldovan delegation, Moldova's officials will be informed about activities and capacities of the Serbian Military Academy, School of Medicine of the Military Medical Academy and Center for Peace Operations.Serbia's and Moldova's officials will also discuss Serbia's experiences in European integration in the fields of defense reform and creation of strategic documents.In addition to the meetings at the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian Armed Forces, the Moldovan delegation will have meetings in the Serbian parliament and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.