A conference of the South East Europe Clearinghouse (SEEC), which is hosted by the Defence Ministry, started in Belgrade.

The meeting was opened by State Secretary for Defence Tanja Miscevic, who pointed out the event's significance in terms of regional cooperation and experience exchange. Miscevic told after the opening ceremony that the basic goal of the conference was to show that cooperation in the region was a necessity.

The meeting will be used to discuss a series of vital issues and exchange experience, including that related to the storage and disposal of surplus ordnance. According to her, this constitues a common problem for all the countries in the region.

There are over 80 participants from 33 countries and international organizations at the conference. Representatives of the region's countries, donor countries, the UN, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the EU and NATO are among those present.

The conference is aimed at analyzing the work of three regional centres, the Centre for Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence in Krusevac, Centre for Training and Participation in Peacekeeping Operations near Sarajevo and the Media Centre in Skopje.

The meeting is also an opportunity to present Serbia's capabilities in regional cooperation, especially the new Defence University, the Jug base near Bujanovac and the Technical Overhaul Works Kragujevac.

SEEC was established in 2004 to achieve better donor coordination in providing assistance to the region. Slovenia and the U.S. proposed its creation.

Belgrade hosted a donor conference in June 2006, which was sponsored by SEEC and resulted in EUR 4.5 million in donations for around 64 projects aimed at reforming Serbia's defence. The Kragujevac centre became a regional centre in 2009.