11.08.2009.

Minister attends preparations for Chad

Minister of Defense Dragan Sutanovac attended the preparations sessions for superior SAF officers which as part of a Norway contingent will participate in the peace mission in Chad (MINURCAT) under the auspices of UN. In the Peace Operations Center the meeting was attended by State Secretary Zoran Vesic and Deputy Chief of SAF LTG Mladen Cirkovic.

The Minister of Defence of the Republic of Serbia, Mr. Dragan Šutanovac visited today the officers and civilians from the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces preparing to be deployed in the peace mission MINURCAT in Chad and the Central African Republic, under the UN auspices, within the Norwegian contingent. The meeting in the Peacekeeping Operations Center was attended by the State Secretary PhD Zoran Vesi? and the Deputy Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Mladen ?irkovi?.

For the first time in its history and by the order of the Parliament and state authorities, SAF will be taking part in peace missions under its name. Every time that the Serbian flag is raised in some part of the world marks a victory for us, especially when it comes to those missions which involve saving lives. By taking part in peace missions we strive to restore our reputation in SAF. Our participation in Chad steps goes beyond our interests and promotes Serbia in the best light, as Sutanovac said in his address to 21 SAF members who will be leaving for Norway in order to continue preparations in Chad by the end of the month.
The mission in Chad is the fourth peace mission with the participation of Serbia. Military and police personnel from dozens of countries are deployed in the mission. According to the Minister, participation of our officers and civilians as part of the second rotation within the Norwegian contingent, as well as the number of participants, prove the confidence that they the professionalism of Serbian peacekeepers is at a high level, especially in our country’s medical service, which is a brand in its own right, outside Serbia’s borders, as well.

The draft Act on participation of the Serbian Armed Forces and other security structures abroad has been proposed in the Serbian Parliament. Within the process, the Ministry of Defence will propose deployment of our personnel in missions across the world. It should be pointed out that participation in peace mission is, above all, a political decision, not a decision made by the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence. It is considered at the National Security Council and then proposed to the Government and the Parliament.

Participation in peace missions build credibility of both the Serbian Armed Forces and Serbia, at home and abroad. This is how we are taking major steps towards European integration. The process of making the Serbian Armed Forces fully professional will not be finalized in an appropriate way, if the Forces do not take more active part in missions outside our country – said the Minister of Defence, Mr. Šutanovac.