Croatian and Serbian military officers could start participating in educational exchanges if a bilateral agreement is signed by the end of the year as planned.

The agreement would also outline the cooperation in the area of security politics, defence planning, military science, training and medicine among others. It would not include the exchange of security information. The Croatian Ministry of Defence (MORH) says, however, that such cooperation has not been ruled out for the future.

The agreement is expected to ease up the entry onto Serbian markets of Croatian manufacturers of weapons and other military equipment.

At a recent military fair in Bucharest, Romania, Serbian military representatives expressed interest in uniforms produced by the Croatian company "Kroko" for Croatian and Montenegrin soldiers. They also liked the helmets made by another Croatian company "Sestan-Bush" and had said that both will most likely be invited to participate in a public tender.

The two countries have been negotiating the agreement for over a year, but the process has been delayed since Croatia’s recognition of the independence of Kosovo, the Croatian daily Jutarnji List writes.

Even without the official agreement the technical cooperation has existed for years, MORH sources say.