27.04.2018.
Serbian Assembly adopts a number of bills and decisions on defence
Members of the Serbian Assembly have adopted today a number of bills and decisions on the agenda of the Fourth Sitting of the First Regular Session.
Following support in principle, support as a whole was given to the Proposal of the Decision on the Adoption of the Annual Plan for the Engagement of the Serbian Armed Forces and Other Defence Forces in Multinational Operations in 2018 and the Proposal of the Decision on the Participation of Serbian Army Personnel in Multinational Operations in 2018.
Also, the representatives of the highest legislative body gave the green light to the Bill on the Confirmation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Government of the State of Israel on Military, Defence and Defence Industry Cooperation and Bill on the Confirmation of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Government of the Republic of Greece on Cooperation within the Athens Multinational Sealift Coordination Centre (AMSCC).
Regarding the set of legal acts in the field of defence, the Bill on the Confirmation of the Aviation Cooperation Memorandum between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Government of the Republic of Srpska and Bill on the Confirmation of the Defence Cooperation Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Government of Romania were also adopted.
The Voting Day on the aforementioned legal proposals passed in the discussion on certain solutions, which included Defence Minister Aleksandar Vulin, who pointed out that the state will maintain control over companies from the Serbian Defence Industry, because foreign investment in them can only be up to 49% of the capital value.
He added that it was not about privatization, but about recapitalization and that the state remains the majority owner, and the essence is to technically improve that branch of the industry because the weapons are becoming more and more complex, Vulin said, stressing that the entry of foreign capital will not lead to the dismissal of workers, but to new employment. He also pointed out that in comparison with 2012, the Serbian Defence Industry employed more than 3,000 people, and it has far more work today.
During the discussion, Minister Vulin also said that at the time of the former government, 33,383 pieces of different weapons were completely destroyed, and that, for example, during the bombing, NATO managed to destroy only 11 tanks while the former government destroyed 200 tanks T-55 and 121 armoured personnel carriers M-60.
Speaking about the amount invested in the Serbian Armed Forces, Minister Vulin pointed out that in the period from 2008 to 2012, total amount of investments in capital acquisitions of arms and military equipment was 55.932.000 Euro while in the period from 2013 to 2018, it amounted to 210.759.967 Euro, or 3.7 times more. Also, as he pointed out, in relation to the previous government, the equipping with uniforms was increased by 3.3 times, and as for the boots, the supply was increased by five and a half times. Also, the supply of food for our reserves has been increased by over 52 percent - Minister Vulin pointed out. He added that this is the truth communicated by the language of the numbers and that these are indisputable facts.
Speaking about the participation of members of our armed forces in peacekeeping missions, Vulin said that this activity has a politico-economical significance. He pointed out that the trips are often made to countries that will have to go under rebuilding process, so it is good to have contacts and invoke merits for establishing peace when the time for the economy comes.
The Fourth Sitting of the First Regular Session of the Serbian Assembly will continue with the debate on the amendments on Thursday, 3 May.
