21.07.2021.
Minister Stefanović: Only strong armed forces can guarantee Serbia’s peace and security
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Nebojša Stefanović PhD, who was a guest on today’s “Jutro” show on TV Prva channel, said that only strong armed forces could guarantee our country’s peace and security. According to him, weapons are not being bought for the Serbian Armed Forces to endanger anyone, but in order for Serbia to be safe.
- Whenever our military was strong, we had no wars, nor did anyone threaten the security of the citizens of Serbia. We are not buying new weapons to endanger anyone, nor do we have any aspirations towards any of our neighbouring countries, nor do we want to attack anyone. Considerable experience we have gained throughout history is telling us that our armed forces must be strong, because with strong armed forces, we also have a strong Serbia - Minister Stefanović emphasized.
The arming of the Serbian Armed Forces continues, he added. Countries all over the world are increasing military equipment allocations, even during the Covid pandemic, because in case of a conflict, you can essentially rely only on your own forces.
- The Serbian Armed Forces are a solid bulwark of defence of our country and we want to have strong armed forces, which have no rivals in the region, because only in that way can Serbia feel absolutely secure, and its citizens safe and no one will even think of attacking us - Stefanović said.
Another salary increase is being considered
Commenting on the speculation that a huge number of people are leaving the Serbian Armed Forces, the Minister notes that in the period from 2003 to 2012, almost 20,000 people left the defence system and that the most difficult task was to stop that decline.
- Over the last five years, between 8,000 and 9,000 people left the armed forces, but between 7,000 and 8,000 people have also been employed. We still have a shortage of personnel, but it is much smaller than before - Minister Stefanović said.
According to him, it was not easy, but in the last few months, the influx of new staff has been greater than the outflow.
- Of course, some people are still leaving or retiring, people should not think that all the people who leave the service do so because they are not satisfied with something. But on the other hand, today we have an ever-improving economy in the country - Minister Stefanović emphasizes, explaining that in our fight for staff we are also facing competitive salaries in the economic sector, and that it is not realistic for the average salary in the military to be 1,400 euros, which certain private companies offer.
According to him, soldiers’ salaries are certainly increasing today and he will continue to try to increase them in the coming period as well.
- When you look at salaries, if you compare December 2008, when soldiers had an average salary of 274 euros, and today, when they have 500 euros, you can see a dramatic leap - Stefanović pointed out.
In the last few months, soldiers’ salaries have been increased by almost 17 percent, the Minister said, adding that he had talked to the President of the Republic, Aleksandar Vučić, about another increase by the end of the year.
- I can't say precisely when, but I hope that by the end of the year we will be able to deliver another increase. The country's economy is doing very well, and thanks to that growth, opportunity is opening up for us to ask for a salary increase for those who perform difficult jobs - Stefanović said.
Commenting on the speculation that soldiers work up to 500 hours of overtime a month, Stefanović pointed out that it was physically impossible and added that the situation was such that salary payments were punctual now, as well as the calculation of overtime hours.
In the last two years, 1,200 service members have resolved the housing issue
Speaking about the provision of housing for members of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces, Minister Stefanović points out that the project of building affordable apartments for the security forces, which the government launched two years ago on the initiative of President Aleksandar Vučić, is really important.
- So far, about 1,200 members of the defence system have signed housing contracts. A huge number of people got a roof over their heads in a short period of time. This process continues - the Minister of Defence said.
According to him, the way of applying for the purchase of an apartment has its weaknesses, and a better model is being sought.
- You can never have an ideal model, but we are doing our best to make it fair and help majority of people solve their housing issue. The price of a square metre for members of the security forces is 500 euros, and I think it was 400 euros in Vranje - Minister Stefanović said.
The prosecution will have the last word on the death of the non-commissioned officer in Pešter
Responding to the journalist’s question about the speculation regarding the death of non-commissioned officer Dejan Stojković during the preparations for the military exercise in Pešter, Minister Stefanović says that it is always difficult and tragic when a service member loses their life and that everyone in the Serbian Armed forces was upset by the loss.
He points out that the prosecution was informed about the incident straight away, that he immediately ordered the Defence Inspectorate to start investigating, while the Chief of the General Staff and the Army Commander formed commissions in line with regulations and the law. As he underlined, after determining all the circumstances, the Prosecutor's Office conducting the investigation will inform the public about everything.
- I am not a prosecutor and I do not want to deal with the details of the investigation; that is something that only the prosecution can do. I will neither absolve anyone from responsibility, nor accuse them because it is the prosecutor’s job. I certainly do not want to comment on a situation that the prosecutor has not yet commented on. When the prosecutor says - these are the facts, if it is determined that someone is responsible, they should be punished most severely. But let the prosecutor deal with that - Minister Stefanović said.
Asked to comment on the allegations that the soldiers, because of this event, turned their backs on the commander of the 2nd Army Brigade, Brigadier General Željko Kuzmanović, instead of responding to his "Very Good" with "We serve Serbia", Stefanović said that it was an absolute fabrication.
- Such people underestimate our soldiers and obviously think very poorly of our armed forces if they can invent something like that - the Minister of Defence emphasized.
He called on the media, but also on certain politicians, not to abuse Stojković’s death, whose family listens to different theories and stories every day, and to let the prosecution do its job in accordance with the law.
We will make up for any damage caused by the exercises
Asked to comment on the messages sent by some media in the region that "in the future we should think carefully about military activities in the area of Pešter, which is inhabited by Bosniaks," the Minister points out that some of our neighbouring countries are often worried when our armed forces strengthen or conduct exercises. He sees no reason for that, unless they are planning to attempt something against Serbia.
He explains that, first of all, Pešter has not been a military training ground since two years ago, but for some 30 or 40 years, or even longer, and that no one lives on the said land, but that a number of families have temporary huts on the pastures where they graze their livestock, while some have beehives.
- They visit this land occasionally throughout the year. Earlier, most of it belonged to the military, and one part belonged to the public enterprise "Srbijašume", and in the restitution process, one part of the property was returned to the previous owners. There is no other training ground where this type of exercise can be conducted. We wish there was an ideal, empty piece of land, but there is none. We are aware, of course, that people have to take off their cattle, that someone's beehives were destroyed, and we always make up for all the damage - Stefanović said.
He adds that nothing is aimed at Bosniaks, of course, and does not want anyone to look at it that way.
- When exercises were conducted in the seventies, no one said that they were aimed against Bosniaks, and they were conducted in the same place - Stefanović said.
When someone from another country, he adds, is allegedly concerned for beehives and cattle, and thinks that it would be best if we closed down all training grounds and barracks, there is no point to it, it is just a kind of envy and a message that they do not want to see strong Serbian Armed Forces.
We strongly support vaccination
When asked whether vaccination against Covid-19 will be mandatory for military personnel, Minister Stefanović said that vaccination was not mandatory for the military, but that he strongly supported it.
- Today, the Covid situation in our country is much more favourable than in many other countries due to a high percentage of vaccinated population, but it is still insufficient. Our country has provided free vaccines and a very well-organized vaccination process. See how many people from the region are coming to our country to get a vaccine - Minister Stefanović noted.
He once again called on people to get vaccinated in order to help their families and colleagues, but also doctors and medical staff who fight against Covid and other diseases on a daily basis.
The decision on compulsory military service will certainly not be hasty
When it comes to the reintroduction of compulsory military service, Minister Stefanović points out that the debate on that issue is ongoing, adding that he is of the opinion that conscription is important for many reasons, including army strength and reserve forces.
- When compulsory military service was abolished in 2010, there was no public debate, nor a debate in the Parliament itself, nor was that decision made on the basis of some in-depth analysis. We have started discussions on that issue, from expert ones in the public to those at the military level, and we will not rush anything - Stefanović said.
If we decide to reintroduce compulsory military service, the Minister of Defence said, we want this decision to be based on reality and to have the necessary infrastructure and capacity to take in these young soldiers.
Pristina's behavior is frivolous and dangerous
Regarding the recently held dialogue in Brussels, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Nebojša Stefanović says that the temporary Pristina administration does no one good, not even the Albanians themselves.
- I have said repeatedly that they are completely immature and do not know how to perform the role of temporary institutions. All their moves show that they are not well-intentioned, especially towards Serbs, and that the only acceptable option for them is that there are no Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija - Stefanović said.
According to him, President Aleksandar Vučić behaves like a decent man at these meetings in Brussels, which are difficult, while Kurti constantly “pulls tricks” which, truth be told, no one buys.
- Serbia, the President of Serbia and the Serb List Party have proposed time and again measures that would contribute to a better life for both Serbs and Albanians, while the other side does not really want to discuss any problems or solve anything - the Minister said.
He said that such behaviour on the Albanians’ part was very frivolous and dangerous, especially the latest refusal to even sign a document guaranteeing the stability of the region.
- This way they are saying that they are planning some activities, which certainly do not contribute to peace or the security of Serbs. That is why we must have, among other things, strong armed forces, which will make everyone think before they attempt anything against our country - Minister Stefanović said, expressing belief that President Vučić would endure and remain strong in this fight, because it was anything but easy.
