South Shore school lunch program setting the standard | SaltWire #school #lunch #educationBELGRADE - Serbia wants to boost defence industry cooperation with France, and is still seeking to buy Rafale fighter jets, President Aleksandar Vucic said on Thursday, in a further sign of Belgrade's shift away from Russia as an arms supplier.
Serbia, a candidate to join the European Union that has one of the largest militaries in the Balkans, still relies on Soviet-designed aircraft, such as MiG-29 jets and MI-35 helicopter gunships, alongside Russian missiles and tanks.The country remains militarily neutral, but it joined NATO's Partnership for Peace programme, tailored for countries which do not aspire to join the Alliance.
Belgrade is also seeking to bolster cooperation with Airbus via maintenance and the development of the H125M helicopters in Serbia and potential a joint production of a combat drone.In January, Vucic said that Serbia will spend around 740 million euros on new military equipment in 2024.