Defence University signs Memorandum of Cooperation with NIS

Minister of Defence Miloš Vučević attended today the signing of the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Defence University of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Oil Industry NIS JSC in the Rector’s Office of the Defence University.



The signing was also attended by the CEO of NIS JSC, Кirill Tyurdenev.
 
The memorandum was signed by the rector of the Defence University, Brigadier General Prof. Boban Đorović, and the Deputy CEO of NIS JSC, Vadim Smirnov.
 
According to Minister Vučević, the agreement signed today between the Defence University and NIS is not just a formality, but on the contrary - the Ministry of Defence has initiated a whole series of activities in order to better connect with all institutions, establishments, and business entities operating in Serbia.
 
- We do this in order to strengthen our defence capabilities - through knowledge, material resources and all forms of cooperation that can help improve the quality and knowledge of our officers, NCOs and soldiers and provide better conditions for the functioning of the defence system. I am grateful to the Serbian Oil Industry for appreciating this idea and honouring the Defence Ministry’s wish to broaden cooperation - said the minister of defence and added that the first agreement between the Ministry of Defence and NIS was signed about 10 years ago.



This form of cooperation, Minister Vučević said, also includes learning the Russian language, which is a long-standing tradition in the Serbian army.
 
- Since the liberation wars in the 19th century, this has been a valuable and necessary skill enabling our officers and other military personnel to cooperate better with other armies. Don't forget that a significant part of our weapons and military equipment was produced in the Russian Federation or the former Soviet Union, and we really need that - said Minister Vučević, adding that knowledge of the Russian language would additionally improve the overall knowledge and skills of our officers and future officers.
 
Minister Vučević invited other companies with similar intentions, interests or needs to connect with the Ministry of Defence and said that they were welcome and that we were ready for various forms of cooperation that would be mutually beneficial.
 
According to Кirill Tyurdenev, there is good and long-standing cooperation between NIS and the Ministry of Defence and the memorandum signed today carries a great responsibility.



- As a socially responsible company, NIS supports universities and students in Serbia through its Energy of Knowledge programme, and our goal is to have good staff who can work for NIS and in their own country. I would like to thank the minister of defence and the rector for their support, this is extremely important for us - said Tyurdenev.
 
The memorandum includes cooperation between the Defence University and NIS in the fields of education, research and knowledge transfer. The signatories to the memorandum agree that by establishing a partnership they can help connect the scientific, educational and professional work of the Defence University with the business activities of NIS.
 
The signing of the memorandum was attended by Acting Assistant Minister for Defence Policy Predrag Bandić, members of the Defence University and representatives of NIS.