Head of the Military Healthcare Department, Brigadier General Radivoje Anđelković VMD opened the Regional Military Medical Conference, held in Belgrade for the fourth time.

Recalling the 185-year history of the medical service of the Republic of Serbia, he pointed out that by cooperating through activities such as multinational operations, congresses, expert meetings, and international military exercises, we confirm the importance of exchanging professional knowledge to improve competencies, interoperability, but also the inevitable strengthening of friendly relations.

- The Balkan military medical forces are a regional project of exceptional importance for military medical cooperation in the region. We witnessed the long journey of the Balkan Military Medical Forces, from an idea to an internationally recognized legal entity, through the regional conferences held so far in 2011, 2013, and 2019, also in Belgrade. Since then, we have been adapting the concept of work following new challenges, which have been presented to us countless times in crises. For this very reason, the exchange of experiences contributes to continuous cooperation in various areas of health care for all our citizens.

At the conference's opening, Brigadier General Peter Iversen (Kingdom of Norway), Colonel James Chambers (USA), and the current commander of the BMTF, Lieutenant Colonel Igor Stergar, spoke.

In the next four days, representatives of the participating countries in the Balkan Medical Task Force (BMTF), representatives of BMTF partner countries from the United States of America and the Kingdom of Norway, as well as guests from the National Guard of Ohio and Colorado, the World Health Organization, NATO, The EU, and others will exchange knowledge in the field of military medicine, international experiences from peacekeeping operations and humanitarian assistance, as well as modern aspects of food and water security.