Serbia, South Africa to advance defense cooperation

BELGRADE, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- South Africa and Serbia agreed to initiate cooperation in the area of defense on Tuesday as South African Defense Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula visited Belgrade.

Mapisa-Nqakula met separately with her Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vulin, as well as Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic.

Vulin told Mapisa-Nqakula that the two countries have "a lot of opportunities to cooperate in the area of defense", the Serbian government said in a statement, adding that South Africa's support to the sovereignty of Serbia is important because of its influence in Africa.

Vulin said South Africa has one of the biggest defense industries in the world and that the cooperation can be expanded in this area so that Serbian products can reach the markets of the African continent.

Mapisa-Nqakula said the meeting confirmed the good cooperation between the two countries despite their distance.

"It is the high time to establish the legal framework for full military cooperation, with one of the opportunities being the education at the Military Academy in Belgrade, which is among the best of its kind," she said. Enditem