NATO member states are the biggest donors to the Serbian Defense Ministry, the Institute for European Affairs said on Thursday citing figures from the ministry, BETA news agency reported.

The highest donations for the ministry in 2018 came from the United States, the Institute said in a press release. The Institute asked Defense Ministry for information related to donations and was told that the total value of equipment donated in 2018 was EUR 2,516,252 including 2,375,352 worth equipment from the US. The next biggest donor is Norway (100,000), followed by the United Kingdom (17,000), the Czech Republic (10,000) and Delegation of the European Union (8,000). Donations also came the Jefferson Institute (5,000) and from Jack Vukasinovic who personally donated EUR 900.

The Institute said the donations are just one form of cooperation between Serbia and NATO, adding that the Army of Serbia (VS) took part in 11 international military exercises with NATO forces between 2012 and 2018 as well as in 98 exercises with individual Alliance member states. The two largest exercises were Serbia 2018 and REGEX.

The Institute said that the Defense Ministry had approved the engagement of more than 3,000 VS personnel in seven UN and six EU peace keeping missions between 2003 and 2018.  Eleven Serbian military personnel were sent to the military education institutions in three NATO member states (Germany, Italy and Great Britain) in 2018, it said.