22.12.2017.

Day of AF and AD – Serbia Will always Defend its Sky on its own

The official ceremony to observe the Day of Air Force and Air Defence was held this evening in the Air Force Club in Zemun, in the presence of the Secretary General of the President of the Republic of Serbia Nikola Selaković, Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin, Minister of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs Zoran Đorđević, Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces General Ljubiša Diković, members of the Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces, the City of Belgrade, local government, religious communities and numerous guests.

Secretary General of the President of the Republic of Serbia Nikola Selaković stated that the restoration of our Air Force and Air Defence was the first and sure real symptom of the restoration of the Serbian Armed Forces, recuperation of Serbian economy and restoration of Serbia in general.

- By its heroic defence during the NATO Aggression in 1999, AF and AD of then Armed Forces of Yugoslavia, whose tradition is inherited by today’s Serbian Armed Forces, lines were drawn that testify to the bravery of our pilots and our rocketeers on the one side, and on the other to the significance of the Air Force and Air Defence in the modern warfare. Hence, the strengthening of this arm of our Armed Forces, that today marks 105 years of existence, is of vital importance for the strengthening of the Serbian Armed Forces as a whole and a sure sign of a comeback of our armed forces on the scene in this part of Europe as the strongest, the most respected military power that threatens no one, that jeopardises no one, but which defends the paramount values of our state and our people and these are our freedom, our sovereignty, our independence and our military neutrality as the supreme value of Serbian policy in regional and international framework – Selaković emphasised.

According to his words, with the arrival of Aleksandar Vučić first as the Minister of Defence, and later as President of the Government and then as the President of the Republic of Serbia, the conditions were being created and now they are created for the restoration of our armed forces.

- Such armed forces are a guarantee of peace, stability, independence and neutrality of Serbia and Serbian people. Only as such does it deserve the utmost respect and rightfully represents one of the institutions that enjoy the greatest confidence among our citizens and all the people in Serbia - Selaković said and congratulated, on behalf of the President of the Republic of Serbia, the Day of AF and AD to all its members and the first 105th anniversary of the existence.

Minister Vulin congratulated the holiday to all the members of AF and AD and thanked them on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and all the citizens of Serbia for their courage, self-sacrifice and loyalty to Serbia.

- Only the most modern and powerful countries have powerful air force and air defence. Even some countries far richer than we are, allow some other armed forces to protect their sky in exchange for money, but Serbia will never allow anybody else protecting its sky neither for money nor the policy. That is why we have our Air Force and Air Defence. This has been a year of restoration, a year when, if I may say, the deterioration that lasted until 2012 finally stopped and a year when we started restoring our aviation, just like we will in the year to come continue restoring not only the aviation but our air defence forces – Minister Vulin said.

He underlined that Serbia was a country that was proud of its people, and that Serbia was proud of each of its soldiers and certainly it was proud of every member of our Air Force.

- The years of NATO Aggression, of wars, and deterioration left deep scars on this arm as well. We can finally say that we are going forward and we can finally say that the materiel and the people in our armed forces are in an ever improving state. Our armed forces and each its member feel greater respect of their country, they feel that they are appreciated and that the financial status is improving, and our materiel is becoming modern and it can compete with any other country in the surroundings. The Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces Aleksandar Vučić was clear – I want strong and satisfied armed forces. Our armed forces are strong, and I believe that they will be satisfied and grow ever more satisfied each day. Serbia is proud of its armed forces – the minister of defence concluded.

General Diković gave recognition to all members of AF and AD for everything that they had achieved during the year, for proving that they were worthy successors of their ancestors who had proved themselves in liberation wars.

- They are worthy followers and protectors of our air space today. I give recognition to them for deserving by their work and professional relation that their arm is held in higher esteem, more modern. I would like to thank everyone who decided upon and supported equipping and development in line with our needs and requirements and this 105th year from the establishment is a turning point in that respect and we hope that our Air Force and Air Defence will be strong and powerful in next several years. I want to send a word to all the members discharge their tasks harder, more disciplined and more patient just like Marshal Putnik said tasking Sergeant Mihajlo Petrović back in 1912 – General Diković said.

AF and AD Commander Major General Ranko Živak said that, at that moment, the arm was going through a significant phase of its stabilisation and development that would surely remain recorded in golden letters in the history of AF and AD.

- After more than two and half decades of stagnation, decay and struggle for survival, conditions are created for the continuation of equipping the arm with the-state-of-the-art combat systems, that will together with partial modernisation of the existing systems, more efficient system of maintenance and integral training system maintain and improve our capabilities for the execution of our primary task which is the control and protection of the sovereignty of the air space of Serbia. I wish to point out that, at the moment, the sky above Serbia is secure and that AF and AD make maximal efforts to ensure the control and protection of sovereignty of the air space. Acquisition of new and modern combat systems is exclusively directed towards raising the level of capabilities for the discharge of the said task, and towards preventing the threats from the air space to security of our citizens, institutions and facilities in the territory of the Republic of Serbia – General Živak stated.

By decision of AF and AD Commander, an AF and AD plaque was presented to the City of Belgrade for long-lasting and successful cooperation. The plaque was given to Deputy Mayor of Belgrade Andrej Mladenović.

Tonight’s cultural and artistic programme included the performance of the Artistic Ensemble of the Ministry of Defence “Stanislav Binički”, choir “Queen Marija”, actors Nebojša Dugalić and Momir Bradić and soloists Tanja Andrijić, Vojislav Spasić and Nikola Jevtić.

The Day of AF and AD was marked today in the Command of the 250th AD Rocked Brigade and the 126th Air Surveillance, Early Warning and Guidance Brigade in the barracks “Banjica” in the presence of AF and AD Commander Major General Ranko Živak, in 204th Air Force Brigade at Batajnica airfield, which was attended by Deputy AF and AD Commander Brigadier General Sava Milenković, in 98th Air Force Brigade in Kraljevo in the presence of Colonel Goran Milošević, and in the units in Niš, Novi Sad and Kragujevac.

Day of AF and AD is marked in memory of 24th December 1912 when, upon Decision of Serbian Ministry of the Military and the Main General Staff, Marshal Radomir Putnik passed decision on establishment of the Air Force Command with headquarters in Niš.