11.01.2018.
The Serbian Armed Forces are Brave, Proud, Secure and Autonomous
The reception hosted by the Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin and Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces General Ljubiša Diković, on the occasion of the New Year and Christmas holidays, was held this evening the Guard Club in Topčider.
On that occasion, the host of the celebration the Secretary General of the President of the Republic of Serbia and the Minister of Defence extended greetings for the New Year and Christmas holidays and wished for a year that would be worth repeating.
- Let us be worthy of memory and repeating in the year to come. The year behind us was a year in which the Serbian Armed Forces showed their strength, organisation and virtue. We grew stronger, upgraded ourselves, trained, armed ourselves and procured equipment, but above all we had in mind the members of the Serbian Armed Forces. We thought about every man as the most important and the most significant segment of the Serbian Armed Forces. More than weapons, more than training, more than everything material, we are proud of each member of the Serbian Armed Forces, of their work, self-sacrificing, their tireless, tough and stubborn approach to everyday work and notion of the world where the words “I don’t want” and “I cannot” do not exist, a world where one each day proves again and again how much Serbia is loved, lived for, worked for and learned for – Minister Vulin stated.According to his words, “we have tried to better the financial position of our members, we have increased daily allowances and salaries; we have provided a significant number of flats, and now, owing to the order of the Supreme Commander and support of the entire Government, we expect the initiation of the process of mass housing construction for the members of the security sector.
- The Serbian Armed Forces have been here, they protected our peace, our way of life and our security and stability, and when it was the hardest in the moments of the migrant crisis, and when it was required to defend the country from the natural disasters – the Serbian Armed Forces have always been there. The Serbian Armed Forces is the guardian of our tradition, the guardian of our highest values, and the guardian of freedom. The Serbian Armed Forces exists to protect the freedom, because of the right of our people to exist, to speak its language, to write using its own script, to think with its own head. A strong and courageous armed forces, equipped and trained, just like the Serbian Armed Forces is and like it is yet to become, is a guarantee of peace, freedom, independence and our right to make our own decisions about who our friends are, and the enemies will anyway recognise and find us without any desire or will on our part – the minister of defence said.
As he stressed, the Serbian Armed Forces, as it has always been throughout the history of this people, shared the faith of its people.- And when it was the most difficult, and when it was required to save, and when it was required to deny, the Serbian Armed Forces did all that. That is why today, when things are getting better in Serbia, when the state treasury is fuller, when we are working more and thus earning more, the state of Serbia expresses gratitude to its armed forces by enabling the greatest increase especially for the members of the military, and by providing an opportunity to educate and advance ourselves. The Serbian Armed Forces love its people, as much as the people loves its armed forces. There cannot be a successful Serbia without successful armed forces, and there cannot be successful Serbia without powerful and strong armed forces. Our policy of military neutrality is supported by the policy of the will of the entire nation, and by the strength of the armed forces to stand behind the decision about the military neutrality, to preserve our freedom, independence, to protect the country in which it exists. The Serbian Armed Forces fulfils all its missions, always primarily heeding peace, stability and security of our country, careless life of every our citizen. The Serbian Armed Forces, like it has always been in the history of our people, is here to share both good and bad with its people and its country, to be just like our country, and just like the people that is the source and the reason of its existence. Brave, proud, secure and above all autonomous – Minister Vulin pointed out.
He added that the Serbian Armed Forces was the military of a country that decided to make its own decisions, a country that made its own decisions, that would never do to others what the others had done to it.- We can only feel pride and security because of our country and armed forces, and the times ahead of us are the times of peace, security, development and growth. The children for whom we exist are the children that will live in free and secure Serbia, because the armed forces is powerful, secure, equipped and armed – Minister Vulin said and wished everybody a year that would be worth repeating and we in it worth repeating and remembering.
The celebration was attended by high state representatives, representatives of religious communities, military and diplomatic representatives, members of the Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces and numerous persons from the public life.
The anthem of the Republic of Serbia was performed at the beginning of the celebration by a Mixed Choir of the Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces, and later during the celebration the Artistic Ensemble of the Ministry of Defence “Stanislav Binički” also performed. A five minute film was shown produced by the Military Film Centre “Zastava Film” which briefly presented the most significant results of the Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces achieved in the course of 2017.
