26.08.2021.

Minister Stefanović and Ambassador Botsan-Kharchenko announce “Guardian of Order“ competition

Today, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Nebojša Stefanović, PhD, and Ambassador of the Russian Federation Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko announced a military police competition entitled "Guardian of Order", which is being held in Serbia for the first time as part of the International Army Games from 30 August to September 3. According to Stefanović and Kharchenko, this is another confirmation of good relations between our two countries.

The Minister of Defence congratulated members of the Serbian Armed Forces, Miloš Četrović and Ivan Milošević, as well as Miroslav Ljiljak and Goran Stanković, on winning silver and bronze medals in the "Military Rally" discipline at the International Games in the Russian Federation. According to him, our teams were warmly welcomed and enjoyed the Russian hospitality, and they achieved remarkable success for Serbia and showed the competence of our armed forces.

- Although we are not currently in the Russian Federation, in spirit we are with the Serbian military teams who are competing there. After six years of continuous participation in the International Army Games, we are proud that Serbia is one of 11 co-organizers of Army Games, which are one of the greatest military competitions in the world. We have the honour of hosting the “Guardian of Order” MP competition in our country, and I want to thank the Army staff who have organized everything beautifully and made sure that all participants are satisfied with the conditions - said Minister Stefanović.

He thanked Ambassador Botsan-Kharchenko and the Russian Federation for trusting us with co-organization of these games, pointing out that this was another confirmation of close, brotherly, friendly relations, not only between the two militaries, but also between our two countries and presidents.

- Our military training grounds "Žiča" and "Beranovac" in Kraljevo are ready and I expect the organization to be perfect and to fully justify the trust placed in us. I would like to welcome the teams from Russia, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Iran and Cyprus and remind you that this is the first time the Cypriot forces have participated in the International Army Games. I would like to welcome them and express hope that their participation in these games will become a tradition from now on - Minister Stefanović emphasized.

The Minister of Defence also thanked the representatives of the Egyptian, Greek, Belarusian, and Hungarian Armed Forces, who are there as observers, hoping that in the coming years this competition will be even larger and that other armies will participate and show their skills.

- As Ambassador Kharchenko said, I hope that the famous Serbian hospitality will live up to its reputation in the world. This military competition is also an opportunity to build trust and cooperation and I am sure that military policemen will have the opportunity to compete in skill, strength and endurance in Kraljevo, but also to exchange experiences and ideas - said Minister Stefanović.

He also invited all citizens to attend the opening ceremony for the competition on the Serbian Warriors Square in Kraljevo, on Sunday at 8 p.m.

- The competition consists of four phases, and citizens will be able to watch the third and fourth phases entitled "Patrol Route" and the "Heroes’ Race". These two disciplines are essential and the most attractive for the viewers. As the Minister of Defence, I call on our citizens to support the Serbian military teams in this competition, and I really want them to see how well-trained military policemen are, how complex their work is and how difficult these disciplines are. Each one is difficult, and knowing what they consist of, I can conclude that participants need special mental and physical preparation in order to successfully complete the competition - said Minister Stefanović.

At the end of his address, Minister Stefanović wished all competitors the best of luck.

- I wish you a lot of success and excellent results in the competition and I hope we will meet again next year in the same or some similar place and that we will organize this or some similar competition again, in the best possible way - concluded Minister Stefanović.

Emphasizing the importance of military and military-technical cooperation between Serbia and Russia, Ambassador Botsan-Kharchenko said that the "Guardian of Order" contest is being held in Serbia for the first time as part of the International Army Games.

- It is one of the biggest and most important events. Other games are being held in Algeria and Qatar, for example, but for us, considering our alliance, our cooperation in joint battles throughout history, holding the "Guardian of Order" contest here in Serbia is the most important - Ambassador Botsan-Kharchenko pointed out.

He also expressed deep gratitude for very thorough preparations for the "Guardian of Order" games in Serbia.

- It is perfectly clear, as far as the political context is concerned, that army games and competitions, including the "Guardian of Order", are not directed against any countries, their sole aim is to strengthen and maintain the defence capabilities of the participants in these games and they are peaceful in nature - Ambassador Botsan-Kharchenko pointed out.

On behalf of his delegation and himself, the Ambassador also expressed gratitude for the famous Serbian hospitality, thanks to which the "Guardian of Order" competition is going well.

According to competition head referee, Colonel Nikola Mijatović, in addition to the Serbian military teams, the Russian, Kazakh, Qatari, Cypriot and Iranian teams are also competing.

- The "Guardian of Order" competition consists of four phases. The first two phases will be held at the "Žiča" range with members of the Military Police competing in shooting skills. The first phase is an individual shooting competition with a semi-automatic pistol and an automatic rifle. During the second phase, two-member MP teams will compete in carrying out fire missions in simulated urban environment. In the third phase, called "Military Police Patrol Route", three-member MP patrols will compete at the "Beranovac" training ground. They will have to complete 13 tasks from different segments of military police training - Colonel Mijatović emphasized.

According to him, in the last, fourth phase, called "Heroes’ Race", five-member MP teams will have to overcome a 12-kilometer course with 30 combined obstacles at the "Beranovac" range, which is a test of physical strength and endurance and a test of team morale.

Colonel Mijatović also says that the competition will be supervised by a jury composed of representatives of all countries participating in the competition.

The meeting in the Old General Staff’s Great War Hall was also attended by Assistant Minister for Defence Policy Predrag Bandić, Deputy Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff, Lieutenant General Petar Cvetković, representatives of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces, the military diplomatic corps, and the leaders of competing teams.