The Serbian armed forces as a factor of international cooperation and eurointegration

Abstract

By concluding international agreements in the field of security and defence, the Serbian Armed Forces become a factor of international cooperation, which imposes certain responsibilities on the state and, in a special way, regulates the international legal position of their members. The paper presents the origin and development of the idea of the Common European Security and Defence, the obligations of the Republic of Serbia and the national legal framework that regulates this field. The goal of the EU Common Foreign and Security Policy, established by the Maastricht Treaty, is to preserve peace and strengthen international security in accordance with the principles of the United Nations Charter. To achieve this goal, the Common Security and Defence Policy has been developed, with the Union taking the leading role in peacekeeping operations and conflict prevention. The analysis of the content of national and international acts shows the evolutionary development of the idea on the existence of collective security, the acts for its implementation and the conditions necessary for the successful execution of the set tasks have been developed. Furthermore, comparative and historical methods have been used, as well as the method of deduction. It can be concluded that the new field of integration in Europe requires that the armed forces of the member states gain a role in international relations by initiating a series of institutional reforms and a change in the understanding of the social role of the military. International military engagement at regional and global level, along with bilateral cooperation, is a means of eliminating threats to national security while strengthening the capabilities of the national defence system. It is necessary to meet strict conditions for such engagement to be legitimate.