(13 Oct 2016) Serbia and Russia held a joint military exercise in Batajnica military airport on Thursday.
Members of the Serbian and Russian military, flew fighter jets and helicopters during the "BARS 2016" exercise.
Serbian army colonel Brane Krnjaic said on Thursday that the main objective of the exercise was to raise the level of operational capability as well as control and protection of Serbia's airspace.
Also on Thursday NATO assistant secretary general James Appathurai attended a security forum with Serbian FM Ivica Dacic in Belgrade.
Appathurai said NATO wanted strong partnership with Serbia, but there was no plan , secret or otherwise, for Serbia to join NATO.
Serbia formally wants to join the 28-nation European Union, but Russia's influence remains strong and Belgrade has refused to impose Western-backed sanctions against the Kremlin for its role in the Ukrainian crisis.
Moscow has backed Serbia in its dispute with the West over Kosovo, a predominantly ethnic Albanian former province whose 2008 declaration of independence Serbia has refused to recognise.
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