06.08.2018.

The Day of River Units and Day of the River Flotilla Observed

The Envoy of the President of the Republic of Serbia and Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin attended today a celebration to mark the Day of the River Units Branch of the Serbian Armed Forces and the Day of the Army River Flotilla that took place on the boat “Kozara” in the harbour in Novi Sad.

Congratulating the holiday, Minister Vulin underlined that each of the arms and each of the branches of our Armed Forces deserved to be equally developed and they deserved to be invested in.

- The people who make the River Flotilla are the men who were there in the toughest times, whom we all remembered for their courage and self-sacrificing during disastrous floods, but they are also the men who with their determination ensure that this part of our territory, and this segment of the Serbian country is secure, protected and free. Freedom is the highest value and there is nothing that can be compared to freedom. There cannot and will not be freedom without the Serbian Armed Forces – Minister Vulin sent the message.

According to him, every country that is not capable of ensuring a strong response to any aggressor, cannot hope to make decisions on its own.

- That is why we will continue investing in the River Flotilla, continue with the modernisation of our fleet, with the creation of our vessels which now, after these changes are not solely minesweepers, but they are multipurpose vessels. We will do everything to further develop our flotilla, and to improve the financial status of the members of this branch, and all the members of our armed forces starting from the increase in salaries, increase in daily allowances, housing, to a different behaviour of the entire society towards the members of the Serbian Armed Forces – Minister Vulin sent a word adding that those were the things that significantly changed the position of our members and their families.

Minister Vulin pointed out that “they are here to ensure peace and freedom, but we are here to provide them and their families with secure living and to make them feel respected and to give them attention that they deserve”.

Mayor of Novi Sad Miloš Vučević congratulated the holiday to all the members of the River Flotilla and thanked them for everything that they had been doing for the citizens of that town and the country as a whole. He added that “they are the guarantee of defence of peace and freedom, whose price we paid the most dearly in many wars which we had not caused, but which had been enforced on us. етнути. Mayor Vučević announced that a location would be swiftly prepared for the construction of flats for the members of security services in Novi Sad.

Commander of the River Flotilla, Navy Captain Andrija Andrić underlined that it was another year when the River Flotilla celebrated its day and the Day of River Units Branch reminding that since 1915 until that day the River Flotilla had been executing numerous tasks on rivers, channels and lakes and that its river, pontoon, diver and amphibious units were trained to discharge their tasks in all three missions of the Serbian Armed Forces.

Today’s ceremony was marked by march past of the boats and pontoon units’ assets, and it was attended by the Army Commander, Lieutenant General Milosav Simović, representatives of the Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces, local government, former commanders and numerous guests.

The members of the River Flotilla observe the Day of River Units and River Flotilla in memory of 6th August 1915 when the first Serbian military warship, armoured boat Jadar, was launched from Čukarica slipways, which initiated the history of Serbian River Flotilla of the Kingdom of Serbia.