Members of the Serbian army's Special Brigade and the U.S. Army's European Command carried out a joint mountaineering and survival exercise at several locations in Serbia, the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade said in a release Friday.

The exercise is part of the military cooperation between the two countries and was the first event of its kind to include both American and Serbian paratroopers, says the release.

The cooperation will continue at the operational level through planned joint parachutist training in the southern Serbian town of Nis and in Germany, as well as at the command level through activities related to the decision-making process.

The United States European Command's 173rd Airborne Brigade joined the regular training of the Serbian Armed Forces 63rd Parachute Battalion.

The Serbian army's Special Brigade Chief of Staff Miroljub Cupic expressed satisfaction with the joint exercise, noting it involved experienced instructors who trained in the country and abroad. Commander of the American team Mike Lindemann said the exercise was excellent. We learned a lot and the survival in the wild part was a first for us, he said.