20.03.2010.

Oath sworn by the youngest generation of soldiers

Today, in the training centres of the Serbian Armed Forces – Jakovo, Sombor, Zaje?ar, Leskovac and Valjevo, the youngest generation of soldiers has sworn a solemn oath.

In the central ceremony at the Zaje?ar barracks "Nikola Paši?" in the Fifth Training Centre, the Defence Minister Dragan Šutanovac, congratulating soldiers on their taking the solemn oath said that the presence of their parents and relatives represented the support for the young people who have chosen to serve military service in uniform reciprocating to their state by respecting the tradition.

- It is also the support for our efforts to restore the reputation the Armed Forces had among its citizens. Respecting the tradition we wish to modernize our military and put it back to the place which belongs to it in the society. The fact is that, in the year in which we are finishing the most important task in the reform of the Serbian Armed Forces – the professionalization, once again we have a record high response rate for military service in uniform which shows that we are gaining confidence also among the youth - Šutanovac said.

The Defence Minister emphasized that in the year when the Military Academy celebrates 160th, and the guard 180th anniversary, we have also high response rate for studies at the Military Academy.

- I wish to express my satisfaction with the fact that the process of professionalization of the military develops according to the plan and that there is a large number of candidates for military service. This is an indication that we succeeded in returning the military among the people, but also the people to the military. We cannot perform the modernization without respect for tradition, and this is the only way for the Armed Forces to accomplish all its three missions. It is our wish to do this job to the pride of Serbia's citizens, especially the parents who have entrusted us their children for training and education - Minister Dragan Šutanovac said.

The Defence Minister demanded from the officers and NCOs to treat the young soldiers as their children.

- This is one of the last generations of soldiers who serve military service in uniform and their uniform should remain in their bright memory – Šutanovac said, adding that it is the great pleasure of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces whenever a new generation of soldiers comes, and this time the response rate was 95 percents.

The ceremony in Zaje?ar was attended by Deputy Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces Lt. Gen. Mladen ?irkovi?, Chief of Training Command, Major General Aleksandar Živkovi?, heads of Zaje?ar and Bor administrative districts, Zaje?ar mayor, mayors of Knjaževac, Sokobanja and Boljevac, then the representatives of the municipalities of Bor, Negotin and Para?in, the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Ministry of Interior, social and working organizations, as well as relatives and friends of the youngest soldiers.

Answering to the question by a journalists about the participation of the Serbian Armed Forces in peacekeeping missions, the Defence Minister Dragan Šutanovac mentioned that that since the last year, we have been present in Chad, which is the fourth peacekeeping mission besides Liberia, Ivory Coast and Congo in which we are taking part.

- We are negotiating for participation in three other peacekeeping missions in which our medical teams and officers would be engaged. We will have a solution soon and we will notify the public of these specific missions – said Šutanovac.