NATO and Serbia begin first joint exercises near Bujanovac

2026-05-12 18:22:53, Kosova & Bota CNA

NATO and the Serbian army began their first joint military exercises on Tuesday at the "Jugu" military base and the "Borovc" training range near Bujanovac, in the south of the country, the Serbian Ministry of Defense announced.

The exercises will be held until May 23, under the organization of the Land Forces Command and the Joint Forces Command from Naples.

Around 600 members of the Serbian Army and the armed forces of Italy, Romania and Turkey are participating in these exercises.

Also participating are military planners and observers from Great Britain, Italy, Germany, Romania, the United States, Serbia, Turkey, France and Montenegro.

The leader of the exercise is Colonel Branislav Stevanovi?, deputy commander of the Third Brigade of the Serbian Army.

"During the two-week field activities, tactics, techniques and procedures used in peace support operations, such as base security, work at checkpoints, control of mass gatherings and urban combat, will be practiced," the Serbian Ministry of Defense announced.

According to the Ministry, the exercise represents a continuation of cooperation between Serbia and NATO within the framework of NATO's Partnership for Peace program.

"This cooperation serves the purpose of maintaining peace and stability in the region, improving the operational capabilities of the armed forces, and strengthening mutual trust and understanding," the announcement said.

Serbia has been a member of NATO's Partnership for Peace program since 2006, but insists on military neutrality.

After Russia launched its military invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Serbia imposed a moratorium on holding military exercises with foreign partners.

However, there were exceptions, such as the "Platinum Wolf" military exercises in 2023 and 2025, which were held with the armed forces of the United States and several other NATO member countries.

In Serbia, there is a negative narrative towards NATO, which is also supported by the authorities, as a result of the bombing it carried out against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 1999 due to crimes committed by Serbian forces against Albanians in Kosovo.

In the past, in addition to exercises with the US armed forces, in which several other NATO members participated, the Serbian army has also conducted military exercises with the Chinese army.

In July 2025, a ten-day exercise of special forces of the armies of Serbia and China was held in the Chinese province of Hebei, despite Brussels' warning to Belgrade.

Unlike previous years, since 2022 there have been no joint exercises between Serbia and Russia and Belarus.

Serbia has been criticized by the European Union for joint exercises with these countries.

This is why Belgrade canceled its participation in the Russian-Belarusian-Serbian exercises in 2020, because they were taking place in Belarus at a time when this country was rocked by a political crisis following the presidential elections./REL