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Activities

28 October 2019 The Chairperson of the Defence and Internal Affairs Committee Marija Obradovic and the Vice-President of the French Senate Helene Conway-Mouret

Monday, 28 October 2019

Defence and Internal Affairs Committee Chairperson and French Senate Vice-President

Marija Obradovic, Chairperson of the Defence and Internal Affairs Committee, met today with the Vice-President of the French Senate and member of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Armed Forces Committee Helene Conway-Mouret, in the course of the official French parliamentary visit to Serbia.

Marija Obradovic spoke about the importance of women’s representation in the defence sector, opining that her second mandate as head of the Defence and Internal Affairs Committee confirms that Serbia has recognized these needs and follows the trends in the field.

Obradovic emphasized the importance of parliamentary control over the military and police and the need for additional involvement in cyber security.

The Chairperson of the Defence and Internal Affairs Committee recalled the long-standing defence cooperation between Serbia and France, primarily its most fruitful branches – military training, military-economic and science and technology cooperation. “Serbia and France have worked together in many multinational operations under the auspices of the European Union, most important among them on the African continent”, she stressed.

The Vice-President of the French Senate Helene Conway-Mouret praised the fact that women are becoming more prominent in the defence and security sector. However, diplomacy still plays the most important role, she said, because though defence, armament and security are important, only diplomatic means can lead to a solution after a conflict.

Helene Conway-Mouret said that France had no need to invest into its security before the emergence of extremists and terrorist attacks because it is surrounded by pacifist countries in the same alliance as France itself. “After the increased incidences of terrorist attacks perspectives shifted toward reinvestment into security and it was especially important to allocate new funds for the repair or replacement of old equipment”.

The officials agreed that in the absence of conventional warfare, increased migrations and terrorism emerge as chief security topics and areas to strengthen cooperation both bilateral and Europe-wide. They also agreed about the importance of bilateral visits between Serbian and French presidents and intensive interparliamentary cooperation.