In Serbia Independent News
Tanjug
November 11, 2013
BELGRADE – French Ambassador to Serbia Francois-Xavier-Deniau said at a commemoration at the French Military Cemetery in Belgrade on Monday that Serbia and France became brothers in arms in World War One and established an extraordinary trust between each other.
He pointed out the close relations the two countries had back then and added that their military cooperation did not belong only to the past, but to present as well.
French forces will support the first deployment of a Serbian team for ship protection in Jibuti in a few weeks as part of the efforts against pirates, Deniau stated.
One hundred years after their first joint operation, the French and Serbian troops are about to write another chapter of the two countries’ military cooperation, this time together with the EU, he noted.
The commemoration at the French Military Cemetery marking Armistice Day honoured the 375 French soldiers buried there and all those who laid their lives at the Thessaloniki Front, 50,000 French, almost 300,000 Serbian and the troops of all other allies.
Serbia’s State Secretary for Defence Zoran Djordjevic, Belgrade city officials and ambassadors of a number of nations, including the US and Germany, and an official of the Austrian embassy were also at the commemoration.
Deniau presented former military attache to Paris Colonel Vojislav Krstovic with a medal of merit.
The choir of the French School in Belgrade performed the anthems of the two countries and a song from World War One.
Wreaths at Commonwealth Cemetery in Belgrade
Officials of the Serbian government, a number of embassies in Belgrade and veteran societies laid wreaths at the Commonwealth Cemetery in Belgrade on Monday marking World War One Armistice Day.
British embassy Charge d’Affaires David McFarlane said at the commemoration that 100 years ago, dark clouds gathered over the world powers and led to not one, but two world wars in one century.
The Balkans was at the dividing line at the time, and its population, already decimated by the Balkan wars, was among the first to suffer from World War One, he remarked.
Serbia suffered great losses before some countries even entered the conflict, he said.
McFarlane paid respects to all who laid their lives down in World War One.
An official of the Serbian Defense Ministry, Union of Associations of Veterans of the National Liberation Wars and embassies of the US, Germany and France also laid wreaths at the Commonwealth Cemetery.
http://inserbia.info/news/2013/11/wreaths-laid-at-french-military-cemetery-in-belgrade/
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