24.01.2022.
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Statement of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Nebojša Stefanović PhD:
“It is utterly clear with how much contempt Milomir Marić spoke when he said that “these are primitive officers, the most stupid people join the armed forces” and that “only the good-for-nothing go to the armed forces”, but those very officers were very honourable officers in the ‘80s as well and they gave their lives for Serbia and defence of the Serbian people several years later.
It is good that at least under the pressure of the public and, as he himself said, after numerous calls from generals of the Serbian military, he apologised to those men and their families. It is dishonourable calling our heroes the primitive officers, the most stupid people and say that only the good-for-nothing go to the armed forces, and the fact is that Marić said it, using those exact words.
I did not ask Marić to apologise to me, but I wanted to protect the soldiers and officers who live for this country. The response that Marić sent to me after three days is only an evidence of the lack of professionalism of Milomir Marić, whose ambition is to be both the prosecutor and judge on a television with national frequency. I have no such ambition, and I will always, as a man who has not committed any criminal offences, be ready to respond to the call of all state bodies, just like I have always been. Marić will have to prove in front of a court, all the lies that he has been spreading, though unskilfully, in his programmes.
Until then, every time that he, or anyone else, tries in any manner to humiliate the Serbian Armed Forces and all their members, I will fight for them, no matter who may be on the other side, because those are honourable, hardworking and honest people and patriots of whom Serbia is proud, and who gave their lives for their fatherland, so I will not allow that someone slanders their name”.
