| RACVIAC – Centre for Security Cooperation is an international, independent, non-profit, regionally owned, academic organization, with the mission to foster dialogue and cooperation on security matters in South Eastern Europe through a partnership between the countries of the region and their international partners. |
Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Colleagues and Friends,
It is my special pleasure to address You after the successful 23rd Meeting of the Multinational Advisory Group, held on the beautiful Montenegrin coast. I consider it an obligation to once again express my genuine appreciation to all MAG Members and all our partner organizations for the outstanding and very considerable ongoing support to RACVIAC - Centre for Security Cooperation.
Complete Introductory address, PDF
Dayton Article IV Course
Investigative Journalism and Data Protection
Democratic Control of Armed Forces as Basic Principle for SSR-Regional Perspective
Dayton Article IV Course
Investigative Journalism and Data Protection
Democratic Control of Armed Forces as Basic Principle for SSR-Regional Perspective
Vienna Document-Compliance and Verification Course
SSR and Gender: Implemenation of the UN SCR 1325 and 1820
Integration and Contribution of Coutries of SEE to CSDP
Every few months RACVIAC releases its Newsletter, which includes a detailed overview of our activities during the past period, at our Centre as well as abroad. ›› More
The latest, newly updated version of RACVIAC Flyer, published in April 2012. ›› Download
The latest, newly updated version of RACVIAC Factsheet, published in April 2012.. ›› Download
16 MAY 2012
Workshop on Cluster Munitions
The Workshop on the Implementation of the Convention on Cluster Munitions started in RACVIAC – Centre for Security Cooperation on 16 May 2012. This is the fourth time that RACVIAC and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia jointly organize an event dedicated to Cluster Munitions.
Convention on Cluster Munitions is a very important achievement of the so called Oslo Process, which started in February 2007 when 46 of the 49 participating states agreed on the political commitment to establish a new, legally binding instrument before the end of 2008 prohibiting cluster munitions. The Convention was signed in Oslo on 3 December 2008 by representatives of 94 countries. By February 2010, the required 30 ratifications were achieved and the Convention entered into force on 1 August 2010, thereby becoming international legally binding piece of legislation.
15 MAY 2012
Deputy Head of Mission of Swedish Embassy has visited RACVIAC
The Deputy Head of Mission of Swedish Embassy to the Republic of Croatia, Minister-Counsellor Erik Hammarskjöld, accompanied by Ms Madeleine Lyberg visited RACVIAC – Centre for Security Cooperation on 15 May 2012 in order to make personal acquaintance with the Centre.
The distinguished guests were welcomed by RACVIAC Deputy Director, Colonel Zeljko Cepanec, and senior RACVIAC staff members. The guests were provided with a brief presentation on RACVIAC's history, mission, annual programme of activities, the completed process of transformation and plans for the forthcoming period.
11 MAY 2012
Conference on CSDP held in Belgrade
RACVIAC - Centre for Security Cooperation, in co-operation with the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Serbia and the TAIEX Instrument, organized a Conference entitled: Integration and Contribution of SEE to Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) of the EU, which was held in Belgrade from 09 to 11 May 2012. The event was opened by the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Serbia, H.E. Mr Dragan Sutanovac, Ambassador Vincent Degert, Head of Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Serbia, and Ambassador Nikola Todorcevski, RACVIAC Director.
The purpose of the event was to contribute to regional security cooperation in South Eastern Europe as an important tool in promoting European integration efforts of the region. The Conference has also contributed to the recognition of the importance of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP)/Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) as part of the SEE countries’ integration in the EU.
27 APR 2012
Vienna Document 2011 activity held in Germany
The Director of RACVIAC - Centre for Security Cooperation, Ambassador Nikola Todorcevski, and the staff officer for CSE, LtCol Konstantinos Alexopoulos, attended the “2012 Contacts in Germany”- Vienna Document 2011 activity, held in Schleswig – Holstein, Germany from 23 -27 April 2012.
The activity was organized as an event by which Germany fulfilled its obligations pursuant to the Vienna Document 2011, hosting 63 inspectors from 33 countries. Apart from them, RACVIAC, NATO and OSCE representatives took part in this event as well.
This was the third event of such kind to be organized by the German Arms Control Verification Centre from 2006.
20 APR 2012
27th MAG & Budgetary Meeting held in Albania
The 27th MAG & Budgetary Meeting, the first semi-annual meeting of RACVIAC’s steering body - the Multinational Advisory Group (MAG) to take place after the new Agreement entered into force, was held in the Albanian town of Durres from 17 to 18 April 2012. The Meeting was organized by the MAG Chairmanship of Albania and it gathered the majority of MAG Member countries.
As usual, the Budgetary Meeting was held on Tuesday, 17 April, and it gave MAG representatives the opportunity to discuss all relevant issues regarding RACVIAC’s Budget for 2011 and 2012, as well as projections for 2013 and beyond.
On the following day the 27th MAG Meeting took place. It was officially opened by Brigadier General Zyber Dushku, Deputy Chief of General Staff of Albanian Armed Forces and the MAG Chairperson.
13 APR 2012
SEECP Defence Ministerial, April 2012, Belgrade
On 11 and 12 April 2012 in Belgrade, Republic of Serbia, under the Serbian South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) Chairmanship-in-Office, a SEECP Defence Ministerial Meeting was held. The Meeting focused on enhancing mutual cooperation in the region aimed at resolving the surplus arms and ammunition issues.
10 APR 2012
Indonesian Ambassador visited RACVIAC
On 10 April 2012, H.E. Mr Agus Sardjana, the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to the Republic of Croatia, accompanied by Mr Simson Ginting, Minister Counsellor, visited RACVIAC – Centre for Security Cooperation. The occasion for the visit was the desire expressed by H.E. Mr Sardjana to make personal acquaintance with RACVIAC's mission, aims and organization. The guests were welcomed by the Director of RACVIAC, Ambassador Nikola Todorcevski and senior RACVIAC staff members.
27 MAR 2012
Open Skies Course has started
The Open Skies Treaty – Aerial Observation Course, has started on 27 March at RACVIAC – Centre for Security Cooperation. This two-week Course has been organized in cooperation with Canada, Croatia, Germany and Hungary.
The purpose of the Course is to train personnel from the South East European countries in planning, organizing and executing an Aerial Observation Mission based on the provisions of the Treaty on Open Skies, thereby increasing the administrative capacity in the field of security cooperation.
The theoretical part of the Course is taking place at the RACVIAC facilities in Rakitje, while the practical part will be hosted by Croatia, the Pleso Airbase. As a significant contributor to the Course, Hungary made available the aircraft AN-26, certified for the purposes of the Open Skies Treaty (OST), for the observation flight training, which is going to be conducted over the territory of the Republic of Croatia. The event is financially supported by Canada and Germany. All of the countries involved have provided specialists who act as lecturers during the Course.
23 MAR 2012
Round Table on SSR and Gender conducted
RACVIAC - Centre for Security Cooperation, in cooperation with the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Slovenia, conducted a Round Table entitled “SSR and Gender: Implementation of the UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820” from 20 to 22 March in Maribor.
This was the very first gender-related activity to be organized in RACVIAC, in support of RACVIAC’s Security Sector Reform (SSR) programme for the mid-term period which is, among other things, aimed at covering gender issues and the protection of human rights in general.
The purpose of the Round Table was twofold.
Firstly, it was aimed to bring together the representatives from South Eastern Europe (SEE) to discuss relevant general information on standards guiding the Security Sector Reform and gender with a main focus on the UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820, European standards and regional instruments in Europe. Secondly, the purpose was to encourage the participating representatives of the parliaments, ministries and NGOs from the SEE countries to share their experiences in implementing their Action Plans with the measures to strengthen the role of women in the area of security sector.
15 MAR 2012
RACVIAC held Vienna Document 2011 Compliance and Verification Course
From 13 to 15 March 2012, RACVIAC – Centre for Security Cooperation held the “Vienna Document 2011: Efforts to Revitalise Confidence and Security Building, Compliance and Verification Course”, co-organized with the Federal Republic of Germany, the Republic of Croatia and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
15 MAR 2012
USAF Air War College at RACVIAC
Yesterday, on the 14 of March 2012, RACVIAC - Centre for Security Cooperation hosted 19 senior students from the USAF Air War College, accompanied by US Air Attaché to the Republic of Croatia, Lieutenant Colonel Sean J. Cantrell. The guests from the United States paid a visit to RACVIAC in the framework of their current study trip to Southeast Europe.
02 MAR 2012
RACVIAC delegation paid visit to NATO
On 1 and 2 March 2012, the RACVIAC delegation consisting of the Deputy Director, Colonel Zeljko Cepanec, and Planning and Liaison Officers, Colonel Ferdinand Klinser and Major Sasa Konjevic, visited NATO Headquarters in Brussels. The delegation met with the representatives of NATO’s Emerging Security Challenges Division, namely Head of Cyber Defence Section Mr Suleyman Anil, Senior Advisors Dr Deniz Yuksel-Beten and Mr Michael Gaul, and Ms Gabriela Horosanu, working in the Science for Peace and Security Programme. Possibilities of cooperation and partnership in organizing and carrying out cyber security related education and training activities were discussed. The Science for Peace and Security Programme was identified as a tool that could be used by NATO to provide support to RACVIAC in organizing high-level, policy-oriented cyber security related activities. The first of these activities might be organized in June 2012, with two follow-up activities organized by the end of 2012.
01 MAR 2012
Norwegian Ambassador has visited RACVIAC
The Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to the Republic of Croatia H.E. Mr Henrik Ofstad visited RACVIAC – Centre for Security Cooperation on 01 march 2012 in order to make personal acquaintance with the Centre. The distinguished guest was welcomed by Director of RACVIAC Ambassador Nikola Todorčevski and senior RACVIAC staff members. The guest was provided with a brief presentation on RACVIAC's history, mission, annual programme of activities, the completed process of transformation and plans for the forthcoming period.
Ambassador Ofstad engaged in a very interesting discussion with RACVIAC Programme Managers on RACVIAC's activities and plans for the future enhanced cooperation.
01 MAR 2012
Good Governance Concept Seminar
The Security Sector Reform - the Good Governance Concept Seminar was conducted at RACVIAC - Centre for Security Cooperation from 28 - 29 February 2012.
The purpose of the Seminar was to address and explain the Good Governance concept as one of the most important and most applicable concepts of the Security Sector Reform.
The Seminar gathered more than 30 participants, parliament members and parliament committee staffers, military officers and civilian equivalents from the ministries of defence and armed forces as well as personnel from the ministries of foreign affairs and the interior from the South East European countries.
25 FEB 2012
MAG POCs meeting conducted
In order to discuss some current issues and to make the necessary preparations for the forthcoming 27th MAG Meeting, scheduled for April 2011 in Albania, the MAG Point of Contacts (POCs) meeting took place on 25 February 2012 in RACVIAC.
The Meeting gathered 17 participants representing relevant ministries from 14 MAG countries, namely from: Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Turkey, as well as RACVIAC’s Management and staff.
21 FEB 2012
RACVIAC Director visited Croatian Minister of Defence
RACVIAC Director, Ambassador Nikola Todorcevski, paid an inaugural visit to the Defence Minister of the Republic of Croatia on 21 February 2012. Ambassador Todorcevski congratulated Minister Ante Kotromanovic on the appointment pointing out that RACVIAC owes a particular debt of gratitude to the Republic of Croatia for its initial efforts and uninterrupted assistance as well as commitment to fulfilling the Centre’s mission in the past eleven years. He took this opportunity to express his genuine appreciation to the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Croatia in particular for the outstanding and considerable ongoing support to RACVIAC - Centre for Security Cooperation, not only in terms of finances but also in terms of the secondment of personnel.
›› More21 FEB 2012
RACVIAC opened a new programme year with the Chemical Weapons Convention Seminar
The Chemical Weapons Convention Seminar, co-organized with the Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), has started today in RACVIAC – Centre for Security Cooperation. This Seminar, the eighth one on this topic, is a continuation of the fruitful cooperation between RACVIAC, the Federal Republic of Germany and the OPCW in promoting regional stability, transparency and trust.
The Seminar has gathered more than 30 participants, civilian and military officials, from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia*, Hungary, Italy, Romania, Serbia and Turkey, as well as lecturers from the OPCW. Once again, the Australian Ambassador to Croatia, H.E. Ms Beverly Mercer, made a contribution to this Seminar as a lecturer, introducing the Australian Group Initiative.
14 FEB 2012
Germany and RACVIAC signed Financial Agreement
On 14 February 2012, H.E. Mr Bernd Fischer, German Ambassador to Croatia, and the Director of RACVIAC, Ambassador Nikola Todorcevski, signed the Financial Agreement between RACVIAC – Centre for Security Cooperation and Federal Republic of Germany for the year 2012.
With this Agreement, the Federal Republic of Germany allocated 72.000,00 Euro which will be used to support seminars, courses and workshops included in the RACVIAC “Programme of Activities 2012” mainly within RACVIAC’s Cooperative Security Environment (CSE) with focus on Arms Control Pillar.
27 JAN 2012
Working meeting with SEESAC representatives in Belgrade
On 27 January 2012, RACVIAC Director Ambassador Nikola Todorcevski, accompanied by LtCol Stefan Miene, RACVIAC Programme Manager for Cooperative Security Environment, met with representatives of the South Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC) in Belgrade. RACVIAC delegation was hosted by Mr Ivan Zverzhanovski, SEESAC Team Leader a.i., Ms Bojana Balon, WPON Project Manager, and Ms Iva Savic, SEESAC Communications Officer. The purpose of the meeting, agreed upon during bilateral talks initiated by RACVIAC, was to discuss the annual programme of activities developed by the two Centres respectively, as well as the possibilities of continued cooperation.
›› More24 JAN 2012
H.E. Valdet Sadiku visited RACVIAC
The Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo to the Republic of Croatia, H.E. Mr Valdet Sadiku, visited RACVIAC – Centre for Security Cooperation on 24th January 2012. The occasion of the visit to RACVIAC was the desire expressed by H.E. to make personal acquaintance with RACVIAC’s mission, aims and organization. The guest was welcomed by the Director of RACVIAC Ambassador Nikola Todorčevski, RACVIAC Deputy Director Colonel Željko Cepanec and senior RACVIAC staff members.
14 Dec 2011
SSR in the context of Peace Support Operations
Seminar entitled „Security Sector Reform in the Context of Peace Support Operation: top down approach“, co-organized by the Peace Support Operations Training Centre (PSOTC), and RACVIAC - Centre for Security Cooperation, took place in Sarajevo from 13 - 15 December 2011.
The idea to organise the seminar, initially launched in December 2010 by the PSOTC and RACVIAC, was strongly supported by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Belgrade Centre for Security Policy (BCSP) and the Centre for Security Studies Sarajevo.
13 Dec 2011
Cyber Security Project
A two-day round table entitled RACVIAC Cyber Security Project has started today at RACVIAC – Centre for Security Cooperation.
The round table, which has brought together around 50 experts on cyber security and representatives of SEE countries’ state institutions, has been designed so as to comprise presentations by internationally renowned experts in this field, including the representatives of the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI), NATO, the South East European Law Enforcement Centre (SELEC), the Regional Cooperation Council, Cyber DefCon, the Federal Ministry of Defence and Sports of the Federal Republic of Austria and the Bundeswehr Transformation Centre of the Federal Republic of Germany.
09 Dec 2011
Pooling and Sharing as Smart Defence
A one-day seminar titled “Better Defence Resources Management - Polling and Sharing as Smart Defence” was conducted by RACVIAC - Centre for Security Cooperation on 08 December 2011.
This seminar was organized as a follow-up of the “First Regional Meeting of Heads of Procurement Departments” co organized by RACVIAC the Montenegrin Ministry of Defence in April this year. The mentioned meeting had identified pooling and sharing as an important segment of a successful defence resource management in times of depleted defence budgets and severe financial constraints.
01 Dec 2011
New Agreement enters into force
The Republic of Serbia deposited its instrument of ratification of the Agreement on RACVIAC on 15 November 2011 with the Depositary, Republic of Croatia. With this act the Republic of Serbia has become the fifth signatory State to ratify the document, which was the prerequisite for the Agreement to enter into force. Agreement enters into force today, 01 December 2011. This marks the end of the transformation process of the Centre, started in 2007, whereby RACVIAC – Centre for Security Cooperation becomes legally and formally a very unique international organization promoting enhanced regional security and cooperation through the concept of regional ownership.
›› More28 May-01 June 2012 2012
Dayton Article IV Course
29 -31 May 2012
Investigative Journalism and Data Protection
12-14 June 2012
Democratic Control of Armed Forces as Basic Principle for SSR-Regional Perspective
Interview with dr. Zdenka Cebasek-Travnik,Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Slovenia
Interview with Colonel Joerg Kunze, Bundeswehr Arms Control Verification Centre, on the occasion of the Vienna Document 2011 - Verification and Compliance Course.
Interview with Brigadier General Massimo Panizzi, Public Affairs and StratCom Advisor to the NATO Military Committee Chairman and International Military Staff
RACVIAC’s annual programme of activities includes over 30 activities: seminars, training courses, workshops, conferences, MAG meetings and a number of other extracurricular activities.
In addition to this, RACVIAC also supports activities of other institutions and organisations. And, untill today, RACVIAC has hosted more then 8500 participants on 277 various activities. ›› More