08.01.2010.
Interview with Minister Šutanovac in ''Politika'' daily
If you wish to export, you may not have political obstacles. A group of US senators in Belgrade soon, after which the conditions should be created to formalize the US support to Serbia both in the Senate and the Congress.
According to the Defence Minister Dragan Šutanovac Serbia can earn annual revenue worth between 400 and 500 million dollars from export of armaments and military equipment and selling the knowledge and services in the field of security; there is also the possibility of long-term engagement of domestic building construction companies and marketing of agricultural products. “These are the average numbers; the overall effects can not be viewed only on the basis of one year because the contracts are concluded for several years. It is our desire to make contracts which will have a strategic contribution to increasing exports while reducing the trade deficit”, Šutanovac said. Where is Serbia currently in relation to the former Yugoslavia which was a major exporter of armaments and military equipment?
In 2009, we have achieved more or less the result of the former Yugoslavia in 1989, which was about three times larger. We consider it a great success, but not the upper limit. Everybody can remember the contracts for the sale of tanks to Kuwait which were realised just before the wars in the former SFRY started. Now we are again very close to that result.
Why did Serbia in the past twenty years fail to maintain the pace of export of armaments and military equipment which former Yugoslavia had?
There is no secret that a product of the defence industry is so called a political product. So, in order to have it produced it is necessary at least not to have political obstacles. The fact that we have multiplied our exports and contracting during the past year indicates not that there are no political obstacles, but that we have support.
In that context, what is the role of cooperation with NATO?
Expanding the cooperation with NATO, apart from the security issue, should also bring us progress in scientific and technological development, as well as in the development of medicine, energy industry, environmental protection ...
And what about the role of cooperation with the USA?
I am deeply convinced that the visit by the delegation of the Ministry of Defence to the United States as well as the visit by Vice President Joseph Biden to Serbia had multiple positive consequences, currently the most visible being the donations to our defence system received from the United States. If we say that the priority goal of the Serbian foreign policy is the accession of Serbia to EU, then we welcome any support in that respect. I wish to recall that after Biden's visit the US administration have clearly stated that Serbia fulfilled obligations towards the Hague tribunal thus giving us great support towards further integration into the EU.
Will this support continue?
Certainly. During my visit to the USA, I had talks in both the Senate and the Congress and on that occasion I stated foreign policy priorities of Serbia for which we received absolute support. Soon, we are expecting the visit of a delegation of senators led by George Vojnovi?, after which the conditions should be created to formalize the US support to Serbia both in the Senate and in the Congress.
Dragan Janjic
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Engagement of Ponoš would not deteriorate the relations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Former Chief of General Staff General Zdravko Ponoš will apparently be appointed to a new office in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. You have got into a conflict with him in public. Could his appointment jeopardize the cooperation between the two ministries?
The defence system cannot depend on one man, either in the system itself or outside it. I do not think that anyone in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to take over the powers of the Ministry of Defence, nor I think that possible involvement of Ponoš can lead to that. In the international defence cooperation the powers are clearly defined and I have no doubt that in the future it will work as well as it works now.
At the Ambassadors Conference this year, I have individually thanked all the ambassadors with whom we had direct cooperation during the year, especially those who were appointed to the countries with which we have accomplished the best results. I am pleased that after the conference a great number of ambassadors expressed their desire that this year we visit the countries to which they have been appointed, in order to expand the cooperation.
All the officers will have to spend some time in troops
Currently, the most important part of the reform is completion of the professionalization of the Serbian Armed Forces, which means reducing administration while increasing the operating forces through the employment of professional soldiers and civilians in the positions where their presence is necessary. The Ministry of Defence will not reduce the actual strength of the Serbian Armed Forces, on the contrary. The adoption of the new formation, according to which our ministry and the armed forces will be structured in line with the most demanding standards, is underway.
What does this actually mean?
This means that the number of the so-called administrative officer’s positions is to be reduced while strengthening the formations in the troops. The decision according to which all the officers working in the administrative part of the Ministry will have to spend some time during the year in troops is under preparation. There has been practice so far that an officer, after graduation from the military academy, is engaged in the administration of the Ministry, to remain there in a civil suit forever and make a career of which a troop officer, who is the backbone of the armed forces, can only dream.
When will the professionalization of the Serbian Armed Forces be completed?
We wish it happen this time next year. For something like that, what is necessary besides the budget that currently allows that is general support by the society, as well as support by the media, NGOs ...
Serbia should have 10,600 active soldiers, plus about 2,000 soldiers who would be on training. I wish to recall that the new law introduced a completely new category in the defence system, which is the active reserve. These are people who, besides their civilian professions, also have certain positions within the defence system. Joining the active reserve is voluntary, and each active reservist, apart from his/her obligations, will also have certain benefits. Such a model exists in the developed countries in the world, not only in the military, but also in the police forces.
