28.11.2018.
Minister Vulin: Military and Police defend the Constitution and laws
At the session of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, where the debate in principle on the 2019 Budget Bill began, Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin thanked the MPs for supporting the increase in salaries and the budget for the military, police and members of the BIA, that is the entire security system.
- It is always good news, especially because we have an army which was so much neglected in the period from 2000 to 2012, that, for example, from 2000 to 2012, eight missiles for MiGs were purchased, while we now bought 14 MiGs. This is just a small example of how it was not invested before and how it is now invested in the armed forces. But there must also be investment in the quality of life of both the military and the police, because they have to be satisfied, they must know that we appreciate them. Without serious investment we cannot keep them either in the army or in the police – Minister Vulin said, reminding that other armies have a similar problem, citing an example of the Bundeswehr that has a major problem with the outflow of the military personnel, which also cannot keep abreast of the level of income in the private sector.According to him, it is very difficult to keep IT engineers in the Armed Forces, both in Germany and Serbia.
- All these are the challenges we are coping with and I would like to thank the National Assembly for giving us support and welcoming investment in the army. But here we have unfortunately heard again, and I would be very happy if the debate on the budget was replaced with the discussion on the economy, the profession, rather than how the military and police are trying to get into politics and how they are talked about as someone who “had increased salaries, because they will protect the regime” – Minister Vulin said.
He stressed that the army and the police do not protect any regime, but preserve the Constitution and the law, guard their country, they together guard the borders when necessary, as could be seen when there was the migrant crisis.- Who wants to attack the regime and who is overthrowing government? The military and the police always appear when it comes to force. What force, who announces the force? I do not see any force anywhere and I do not see anywhere that the citizens are encouraged to use force when settling down problems with someone. I do not see anyone here in front of the Assembly who wants to burn it like it was done on 5th October; I do not see that the government is being toppled in the streets. Who should we guard ourselves against; is there something we do not know? It seems that there is, because here, in this House of the highest level, it is said that the military and the police are being bribed to guard the regime, and they will need it, as they say, Minister Vulin said.
The last time, he reminded, when those who set this Assembly on fire had contacts with the military and the police was when they were kissing with the special units as they celebrated burning this Assembly, and the next contact with the military, he added, was when they were delivering the generals.
- Let us agree to keep several institutions that are really important to this people away from politics. The government does not use them for political purposes, far from it, but on the contrary, it respects their patriotism, their expertise, and that is all we demand from the military and the police. We should not say that they are some kind of defenders of the regime, they are defenders of the Constitution and laws and nothing else. The regime or government is defended in the elections and through the votes of citizens, and as you can see, it is well defended at all levels, always by a two-thirds majority – Minister Vulin said.
