21.12.2021.
Minister Stefanović’s statement regarding the attacks on the Serbian Armed Forces
Statement by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Nebojša Stefanović, PhD:
"Unfortunately for Dragan Đilas and his "experts", Serbian soldiers do not stand in front of embassies nowadays, nor are their destinies shaped by embassies, nor will they be as long as Serbia is led by Aleksandar Vučić. And while they are trying to make "jokes" of our soldiers saying that they are lined-up, because they are standing in lines, I will remind them once again of the lines our soldiers were forced to stand in during their administration.
First, while they were deliberately destroying the Serbian Armed Forces in the period from 2003 to 2012, about 30,000 service members left the military, that is, they were either fired or expelled. They fired 600 engineers from their jobs at the Military Technical Institute in just two years leaving them without a job, so I don't know what else to add. We have hired 150 young researchers this year alone. Also, until 2012, providing housing for the military was not a priority and the soldiers could only dream of having a roof over their heads. That is why today they are standing in a line to get an apartment. This year alone, about 1,500 service members have solved this major life problem.
Next, as far as the provision of equipment is concerned, I can see that these self-proclaimed experts have no idea what is happening in the armed forces or the defence industry. It is not true that today's defence system has bought one helicopter for soldiers, as one of Đilas’s "experts" mockingly says. We strive to provide the armed forces with the equipment they need, and in accordance with strategic documents. While this country was ruled by Tadić, Đilas, Jeremić, Ponoš, Ms. Tepić and the like, their "expert" moves literally halved and destroyed the armed forces’ arsenal, reduced the aviation to a single working aircraft, and most of the helicopters did not fly due to the shortage of fuel. Nowadays, the armed forces have 14 MiG-29s, a fleet of "Eagles" is being repaired and renewed, and they are able to purchase 30 new, modern helicopters. The only trucks with tarpaulin that Đilas's "expert" refers to, are the ones used by soldiers at the time when they were in command of the armed forces. Unfortunately, at that time, those self-proclaimed experts did not think about the Lazar, Miloš, MRAP, BOV KIV armoured vehicles, or anything else. They did not create anything that would improve the defence system that they criticize today. And those are all facts.
Let them continue to say the worst things about the armed forces, which were the mirror image of their work at the time when they ruled the country. But even then, the armed forces were full of people who were patriots and who were really sad about their armed forces being in such a poor state. Today, my heart is filled with joy when I see the efforts of President Vučić and the Government and the Ministry of Defence to make improvements in the armed forces, to increase salaries and provide better equipment for Serbian soldiers, and that the strengthening of our armed forces goes hand in hand with the strengthening of our country.
And I am sure that telling lies about the armed forces and attempts to humiliate them will not earn those “experts” any trust of the people. After all, on April 3, the citizens of Serbia will say what they think about our policies and work, and we will see who has the people’s support and who doesn’t."
