25.12.2017.

Stimulative Measures Provided to the Members of the Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces

Today, in the Great War Hall of the Old General Staff, Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin conferred non-financial stimulative measures to the awarded members of the Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces who excelled in their work and zeal in the year that is drawing its end.

- The President of the Republic of Serbia and the Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces, Aleksandar Vučić, gave a clear order, which was that he desired a strong and satisfied armed forces – the minister of defence pointed out and added that we made it strong by procuring the-state-of-the-art arms, by training and by acquiring everything that had not been acquired for decades. Minister Vulin said that we made it satisfied by improving financial status of each of our members – by increasing salaries, daily allowances, and by providing opportunities to award the best ones in this way, reminding that without strong and satisfied armed forces there cannot be strong and satisfied Serbia.

- When I know how many times each one of you has deserved this and even much larger rewards that this one, I feel pride in being a part of those ranks and because I can say that we will continue strengthening the armed forces and making it more satisfied. By legal solutions which we will adopt in the next year will enable staying longer in the armed forces, we will enable professional soldiers, professors, researchers to remain there until their retirement. We will enable this kind of rewarding, but we will also enable that housing construction, something that is our greatest concern and requirement of our families, is quick, wholesale, secure – minister Vulin said adding that the one who entered the Serbian Armed Forces should only give his best, love Serbia and Serbia and the Serbian Armed Forces would take care of him. Minister Vulin said to the gathered that they were not rewarded that day, but they only received the deserved recognition for their work, self-sacrifice, effort and enthusiasm and everything that made us proud of the Serbian Armed Forces.

- You have learned, worked, exercised and sometimes saved somebody else’s lives – everything that you have done deserves gratitude, more than the rewards. I know that this reward does not make you feel any more proud and happy for wearing that honourable uniform than you feel every other day, but I also know that you understand that this is the way in which we want to show how much we appreciate you, respect and love you. Your Serbia loves you and this is the way to show you and your families how much we cared in those days when it was difficult for you, when it was the hardest, so that now we can share that joy – the minister of defence said, stressing that they would be with their families and that it was “something that you miss the most and that they miss the most”.

Wishing the awarded and their families to use the received rewards in the best possible way – to be together and look into the future, and to have in the following year a lot of success and progress, the minister said:
- I know that with or without the reward, you will always make our homeland, our one and only Serbia proud, upright and secure. As long as you are here, Serbia is peaceful, stable and safe. As long as you are here, Serbia has nothing to be afraid of, and it has someone and something to be proud of – the Minister Vulin concluded.

The Army Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Milosav Simović expressed gratitude on behalf of the awarded for the given stimulative measures, stressing that it was a rather positive novelty.

It is a non-financial stimulative measure from the purview of the minister of defence which includes a seven days long vacation with one family member in one of the facilities of the Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces for vacation and recreation on Tara, Vrnjačka Spa or Morović. The rewards, seven days of free stay in the hotel “Omorika” on Tara Mountain were given this year to 351 soldiers, NCOs, officers and civilians who excelled in their work and zeal and achieved envious results in the Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces.

The ceremony of presenting the stimulative measures was attended by Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces General Ljubiša Diković as well as the members of the boards of the minister of defence and Chief of General Staff.