25.12.2020.
Minister Stefanović opens the Conference on National Security of Serbia 2020
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Nebojša Stefanović, PhD, opened an online Conference on the National Security of Serbia 2020, organized by the Association of Citizens “National Avant-garde“. The conference topic was the current situation regarding national, regional and global security and Serbia’s place in security processes, as well as potential challenges.
Welcoming the participants on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Ministry of Defence, Minister Stefanović pointed out that Serbia’s national security was at the top of state interests and that Serbia showed support for the regional and global peacebuilding and stability at every opportunity and that it contributed to security, but at the same time it was strongly committed to protecting its national interests.
He says that the world is facing numerous traditional challenges, risks and security threats - from current hotspots in the Middle East and North Africa to the growth of new asymmetric security threats that further complicate the security situation.- From Europe’s migrant crisis since 2015, to cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure facilities and various hybrid attacks, to the Covid-19 pandemic which has seriously endangered and continues to endanger people’s lives and health, and which indirectly affects the security sphere. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the importance of cooperation and solidarity today more than ever, because the transnational and asymmetric nature of modern challenges, risks and threats clearly shows that in today's world we can solve security problems only in cooperation with other international actors and other countries - said Minister Stefanović and emphasized that Serbia showed support for the regional and global peacebuilding and stability at every opportunity and that it contributed to security, committed to protecting its national interests.
- I would like to remind you that the National Assembly has adopted the new National Security Strategy and the Defence Strategy of the Republic of Serbia, which confirms our cooperative and integral approach to security. The strategic commitment of President Vučić and the Government of Serbia is to preserve our country’s independence and independent decision making, the policy of military neutrality and care for the interests of our citizens.We are building an economically strong and open Serbia that develops relations and cooperation with all countries on equal terms, but also makes its own decisions and is governed exclusively by its citizens. A Serbia that has the strength to protect the interests of the Serbian people in our southern province, but also to oppose all those who endanger the interests of our people - said the Minister of Defence.
He also spoke about the fact that in the geopolitical sense, Serbia belonged to an extremely sensitive Balkan area where the interests of numerous international entities had always been present.
- We have decided to be neutral and we are the only country in the Balkans that has opted for military neutrality, which is determined by the Defence Strategy. As a political decision, our commitment not to be part of military alliances clearly expresses the fact that as a state we pursue our policy in the field of security and defence independently, striving to improve cooperation with everyone so that we can contribute to building trust, stability and security in the region and the world.This enables Serbia to stay out of the conflicts of great powers and cooperate with everyone, but in accordance with its own interests and in the interest of its citizens - said the Minister of Defence pointing out the fact that the Serbian Armed Forces must be strong in order for Serbia to be neutral.- My priority in the management of the defence department is to fulfil President Vučić’s strategic vision, and to implement the process of the armed forces development andenhancement of their operational capabilitiesmore quickly and more efficiently. Building military capabilities is a key condition for maintaining Serbia’s military neutrality and a basic factor in effective military defence and deterring anyone who even thinks of endangering our country.By maintaining the required level of military capabilities and their enhancement, we create conditions for an adequate response of the defence system to modern challenges, risks and threats to Serbia’s security - Minister Stefanović emphasized.
In his opening speech, the Minister of Defence also said that in the conditions of military neutrality, reliance on one's own forces and potentials was the starting point for defence planning and conducting Serbia's defence preparations. He pointed out that by strengthening the domestic defence industry and launching a large number of materiel development projects, a reliable base was being created for building the capabilities of the Serbian Armed Forces and other defence forces.
- Of course, that does not mean that we will not continue with foreign purchases. Experiences from recent armed conflicts, such as those in Nagorno-Karabakh, in which the use of drones came into focus, indicate a growing importance and role of the most modern weapons and military equipment. Fortunately, for the sake of preserving peace and stability, we took numerous measuresin the past period to equip the Serbian Armed Forces with modern weapons, state-of-the-art air defence systems, aircraft, helicopters, tanks, armoured combat vehicles and other equipment. Thanks to President Vučić’s support, we will continue equipping the armed forces in 2021. As the President said yesterday, we managed to set aside a part of the budget money for the purchase of new weapons and we will continue equipping the armed forces andinvesting in domestic factories, the Military Technical Institute and domestic know-how, in order to be less dependent on foreign countries - said Minister Stefanović.
He said that the human factor, which requires constant investment, was of key importance for the operational capabilities of the Serbian Armed Forces and the country's defence.- Investment in personnel who have confirmed their patriotism, professionalism and top qualifications countless times so far. That is why I am proud that we have provided a salary increase for our members this year, because, as I have already said, there are no armed forces without soldiers.People are the most important resource and that is why we need to invest in them. I would like to emphasize once again that the Republic of Serbia is firmly determined to remain a factor of peace and security in the region and the world and to develop capabilities that will confirm such a position, thus improving its international reputation and position on the international scene and its ability to safeguard and promote national interests - concluded Minister Stefanović and wished all participants in the Conference success in their future work.
Representatives of academic institutions and the diplomatic corps also spoke at today's conference, discussing aspects of security in Serbia, the region and the world.The conference was divided into three panels, based on the topic - the first panel discussed the security situation in Serbia, challenges and prospects for our country’ssecurity sector, as well as directions of further development of our citizens and state’ssecurity. The topic of the second panel was regional security context in Southeast Europe with an emphasis on Serbia's influence on regional processes and the third panel dealt with the global context of security, global challenges and threats.
