20.08.2016.

Minister Djordjevic visited Joint Military and Police Force on the border with Macedonia

Defence Minister Zoran Djordjevic, accompanied by Lieutenant General Jovica Draganic, Deputy Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, and Major General Zelimir Glisovic, Commander of the Joint Military and Police Force, visited today the members of the Joint Military and Police Force in Sector A, securing a part of the border of the Republic of Serbia with the Republic of Macedonia.

General Glisovic informed the minister of defence about the area of responsibility, complex tasks of the Joint Forces and the fact that they managed by their activities to discourage more than 2,750 persons from illegal border crossing, while 606 illegal crossers were accommodated in the reception centres.

On that occasion, Minister Djordjevic gave a promise that efforts will be made to overcome all the problems in the work of the Joint Force allowing more effective engagement of the military and police in the future.

During his visit to Sector A, Defence Minister visited the pre-reception transit entry point in Miratovac field, the checkpoint near the village of

Miratovac, the positions of the military and police on Maminsko Brdo, and the possessed facility of Prohor Pcinjski where he got assured that members of the military and police effectively carry out their tasks in preventing illegal crossings and people smuggling. This was an opportunity for Minister Djordjevic to see the methods and means of securing the border with the Republic of Macedonia in the form of patrols, checkpoints, ambush or ambush points with dogs, using thermal imaging systems and helicopters.

- Soldiers and police officers are professionally and efficiently performing their tasks guaranteeing peace and security to the citizens of Serbia. They are doing great job in the new circumstances where we do not have enemies on the other side, but people looking for a piece of bread in Western Europe and wish to pass through our territory. At the beginning, all this, of course, had a humanitarian character, but today we have migrants from the regions that no one in Europe wants to receive, so we have to adapt to this situation – Minister Djordjevic said.

According to him, the military and the police are finding methods how to best prevent illegal crossings and make migrants turn away from the route called Serbia.

- Estimates regarding the pressure of migrants on the borders of our country are different. A large influx of migrants was expected during the summer, but that did not happen since the efficient work of the military and police restrained it – the minister of defence said.

He added that measures are taken to improve the technical means used in securing the border and that in the forthcoming period some assets will be tried in the field.

- We use everything we can. Surely we will not raise fences, as Serbia is an open country, but we will use all means to fight against the forces that threaten us and Europe – Minister Djordjevic concluded.

On the proposal of General Glisovic, seven members of the Joint Force from the composition of the Serbian Armed Forces were awarded, and in the forthcoming period this practice of rewarding the work of people who are securing the Serbian border will continue, both for members of the Serbian Armed Forces and the members of the Ministry of the Interior.

At the end of the visit to Joint Military and Police Force in the south of Serbia, Minister Djordjevic and his associates visited the Prohor Pcinjski monastery.