07.01.2018.
The Armed Forces Ensure Peace on Christmas
Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin and Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces General Ljubiša Diković spend Christmas morning with the members of the Serbian Armed Forces engaged on securing administrative line in the base “Jezerska Mahala” in the Ground Safety Zone.
After exchanging greetings on this most joyous Christian holiday, the minister of defence and Chief of General Staff visited the facility, and the Base Commander, Captain Miloš Rašić informed them about the tasks of the unit in the Ground Safety Zone and the section of the line that they secure.
During the conversation with the members of the Serbian Armed Forces, the minister of defence underlined that he was very pleased because the first salary that had been paid in the new year was increased although it was salary for December and that improvement of the standard of its members was the priority of the Ministry of Defence for the period to come. The visit was followed by group photo and socialising during lunch.In his address, Minister Vulin, on behalf of Supreme Commander Aleksandar Vučić and on his own behalf, extended greetings on that great holiday by saying the traditional Christian greeting “Christ is born”, and pointed out that our society lived safely and in peace that we very much need and that the secure and stable armed forces that we had was a guarantee of peace in our area and beyond.
- Today we also think of those who are not here with us, and of those Serbs in enclaves and of our fellow citizens no matter where and how they live. We play our part and meet the obligation to take care of them. The Serbian Armed Forces will continue protecting the Ground Safety Zone, peace and security of each citizen, regardless of religion or nationality, but always having in mind the law and Constitution and the future of our children – the minister of defence said.
He reminded that the Serbian Armed Forces were the guardian of our state, tradition and peace.
- Without strong and successful Armed Forces, there cannot be a strong and successful state, and that is why today, when we rejoice in peace and when we spend this great and important holiday with our families, I want all of you to know that there is no peace, security and stability in a country that does not have strong armed forces and strong security structures. There is no assistance, investments and no development unless you have security, stability and peace. The members of the Serbian Armed Forces will maintain and protect the peace just like they have done all these years, always confident that they will be worthy of their ancestors and memory – Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin said.
Asked about potential threats to security in Kosovo and Metohija during Christmas holidays, Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin said that such information, received from a respectable source such as KFOR, were examined and everything was done to identify and prevent any possible act of violence or anything else that could pose threat to security.- Political tensions felt among Albanians in Priština and their obvious fear regarding the establishment of the Special Court definitely present a destabilising factor in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, but that is something that should be primarily responded by the representatives of the International community. As you know, we exclusively recognise UNMIC, KFOR and EULEX, meaning the representatives of the International community and we expect from them to pay attention to security of anyone who lives in Kosovo and Metohija. Our side deems the establishment of the so called Armed Forces of Kosovo absolutely unacceptable, as well as any attempt to reduce the Special Court in any way, or to postpone its establishment not to mention to abolish it. We take care of the security of each citizen in accordance with the Resolution 1244 and we do not accept that there can be any armed force in Kosovo and Metohija other than KFOR, just like we do not accept that the crimes of the KLA members remain unpunished.
Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces General Ljubiša Diković highlighted that, owing to the engagement of the Serbian Armed Forces, the citizens in the Ground Safety Zone were completely safe.
- The Serbian Armed Forces, security forces of the Republic of Serbia and KFOR successfully control the Ground Safety Zone and ensure peace to all the citizens in this area. Today, on this good day, I extend my Christmas greetings to all the soldiers from this military ambience with the traditional greeting – “God’s Peace, Christ is born!”
Army Commander Lieutenant General Milosav Simović, confirmed that the security situation in the Ground Safety Zone was stable and that the members of the armed forces performed their regular tasks through the engagement of patrols, stake outs and observation posts.
- Every day, our members in contact and cooperation with KFOR conduct joint activities and patrols and simultaneous observation. In the period to come, the members of the Army, and the Base “Jezerska Mahala”, where we are at this moment, will continue professionally executing regular military tasks and we are proud of very good cooperation which we have in this part of Serbian territory with local population – General Simović said and reminded that the Army members had an excellent and “fair human and military” relations with all the citizens of this part of the territory be them Serbs or Albanians, and that it was going to be like that in the future as well.
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