NATO meeting starts in Serbia despite protests

A NATO meeting aimed at international military cooperation opened in Belgrade Tuesday where lingering bitterness over the 1999 bombing campaign of the city sparked protests against the event.

While Serbia is not a member of the alliance, it is hosting the two-day Strategic Military Partner Conference in a further sign of the government’s desire to open a new chapter in relations with the West.

“The risks and challenges in the modern globalised world are the same for everyone and demand the development of a partnership to face them,” Serbia’s armed forces chief of staff Miloje Miletic said at the opening of the meeting.

Serbia’s decision to host the meeting sparked protests in Belgrade Sunday and Monday.