11.04.2020.
Minister Vulin: We are proud of our heroes from Košare and Paštrik
- Until 2012, when Aleksandar Vučić became the Minister of Defence, we did not know what Košare were, we had not heard about Košare, and we had heard even less about Paštrik. We did not even know that the NATO attempted a ground intervention in order to enter the Republic of Serbia, and we did not know how many Šiptar infantry members were sent to attack our people, and we had not even heard of the 108 soldiers who were killed on Košare until then – the Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin said on the “Happy” TV morning programme, answering a journalist's question about the anniversary of the Battle of Košare, which was marked by the laying of wreaths.
We did not hear, the Minister of Defence recalled, about Lieutenant Colonel Dragutin Dimčevski, who, after the commander of the 53rd Battalion was wounded, took over the command of the Battle of Košare from day one and fought it until 14th June. He added that we did not know about Tibor Cerna, for whom a monument was erected by order of President Vučić.
The Minister of Defence said that we were all ashamed of those people and were careful not to "offend the NATO by remembering how we fought." Ever since Aleksandar Vučić became the Minister of Defence in 2012, we have remembered all those soldiers, because the memory of heroes, as the Minister of Defence pointed out, has returned self-esteem to our military.
Aleksandar Vučić is the first high-ranking official of the state of Serbia to publicly say that it was a NATO aggression, Minister Vulin said, adding that the real question is why the anniversary of the Battle of Košare was not celebrated until 2012.
Asked to comment on the attitude towards war generals from that period, who were convicted of command responsibility, Minister Vulin said he was proud to welcome General Vladimir Lazarević from The Hague. He also hopes that General Nebojsa Pavković will be released soon. But even though he is not free, Minister Vulin emphasized, General Pavković still fights with his books against the NATO aggression and for the Republic of Serbia.
- We are proud of these people, because they defended their country and defended it in a military way and did not commit crimes. If Naser Orić and Ramush Haradinaj are at large, who can ask General Lazarević why he is talking - Minister Vulin emphasized, adding that he was a hero who sent his two sons to the front line while he was the commander of the Priština Corps.
The battles of Košare and Paštrik are battles in which we were protecting our country's independence and did not allow the Šiptar infantry under the command of NATO to enter our country, the Minister of Defence said, adding that the fact that foreigners also want to know more about how it was done is a testimony of the importance of that operation.
Minister Vulin recalled that when Generals Lazarević and Diković spoke about NATO aggression at the Military Academy, in front of hundreds of cadets, they said they did not believe they would ever be able to speak about it in front of soldiers at the invitation of the state, because they learned that the members of the alliance of political parties “Democratic Opposition of Serbia” handed them over, insulted and concealed them.
- Even though they are retired, they are respected members of the Serbian Armed Forces today and we are proud of them - said Minister Vulin.
