23.09.2021.

Minister of Defence Stefanović and Chief of General Staff, General Mojsilović, visit units on alert

Today, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Nebojša Stefanović, PhD, and the Chief of the General Staff, General Milan Mojsilović, visited some of the deployed Serbian troops which have been put on the state of alert in the Raška garrison and the garrison town of Novi Pazar.

Minister Stefanović inspected the units on heightened alert and saw that their members are highly motivated and ready to protect their people.

- Many people did not believe President Vučić when he said that our armed forces would get much stronger and would not allow any pogrom of our people, but now they can see how far we have progressed, they can see the determination of the Serbian Armed Forces and our weapons and equipment. I am proud of the officers and soldiers who showed today that they love Serbia and that they are a real deterrent against anyone who plans to inflict harm on our country - said Minister Stefanović.

He said that the brave members of units in Raška and Novi Pazar that have been put on heightened alert by order of the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, are highly motivated and ready to protect their people.

- Our armed forces do not provoke, our country wants peace and any solution that would provide a better life to everyone, but as the President said - there will never be any pogroms of the Serbian population, there will be no new "Storms", "Flashes" or any similar operations - said the Minister of Defence.

He is glad that both the personnel and the equipment are ready. He said that the weapons and equipment we bought have the purpose of protecting and that they are in the hands of people ready to perform every task assigned to them.

– I am glad that the morale is extremely high, that the people are ready and that they don’t find it hard to be on alert and not to be able to go home and be with their families, because they understand how important this is for our country - said Minister Stefanović.

He emphasized that President Vučić is making excellent moves towards the de-escalation of what was, unfortunately, undertaken by Priština’s temporary institutions. He also commented on messages from the European Union calling on both sides not to do anything that could heighten tensions.

- The things you could see in Jarinje and Brnjak, as well as the latest beatings of Serbs, show that the President was right when he said that it was part of an organized campaign and that it was a provocation, designed to expel Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija. It is a terrible thing to be silent about it or to release bureaucratic statements asking both sides to ease tensions. The President clearly said, "We have not sent the military or the police. We have not made a single move that could endanger people's lives in any way. We have not done anything that could be interpreted as a provocation," Minister Stefanović noted.

He expressed his unhappiness about the lack of stronger reaction from the international community and said he expects reactions from the European Union and KFOR, whose mandate is to protect Serbs, because they are at risk in Kosovo and Metohija.

– General Mojsilović is in regular contact with the KFOR commander. We are trying to ease the tensions, but also to show that we will not ignore any provocations. I expect a reaction from both the European Union and KFOR, whose mandate is to protect the lives of Serbs, because they are at risk in Kosovo and Metohija. What is happening now is completely contrary to the Brussels Agreement, which obviously does not apply to some.
We have been trying for eight years to implement the Brussels Agreement, which was signed and voluntarily accepted by the authorities in Pristina, and guaranteed by the European Union. Even after eight years, it is not being implemented, especially those provisions that guarantee Serbs a normal and easier life, which the members of the European Union promised as a guarantor of the agreement - Minister Stefanović says and adds that Serbia has much more power today than in previous decades and that the armed forces are ready to protect their people by order of the President.

14.30 Minister Stefanović and General Mojsilović in Novi Pazar

After visiting the deployed troops in the Raška garrison, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Nebojša Stefanović and Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff, General Milan Mojsilović, visited units in Novi Pazar that are part of the deployed forces in that garrison town.

The visit was preceded by a meeting with the commanders of operational units and the deployed units that are on heightened alert.

12.30 Minister Stefanović and General Mojsilović arrive in Raška

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Nebojša Stefanović, PhD, and the Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff, General Milan Mojsilović, arrived in Raška to visit the deployed SAF troops, which are on alert.