19.05.2011.

Awarding medals for dilligent service

By the decree of the President of the Republic of Serbia Boris Tadic, gold and silver medals were presented today to the members of the Ministry of Defense and the Serbian armed forces for outstanding merit and results achieved in performing duties in the defense and security system. The medal were presented at old HQ today by the presented the Minister of Defence Dragan Sutanovac.

On that occasion, 50 members of the Army of Serbia and the Ministry of Defence have been honored. The ceremony was attended by members of the Minister of Defence Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Serbian Army Maj. Gen. Milan Bjelica, representatives of the Ministry of Defense and the Army of Serbia, as well as family members of those awarded.

Congratulating members of the Defense Ministry and the Serbian Army on the awards they received, Sutanovac said that the reform process performed in the previous four years, have significantly contributed to the progress not only of the defense system but of our country in general. During this period, the Minister pointed out, all the doctrinal, legal and strategic documents had been adopted, an effective organizational and functional structure has been established, and international military cooperation has seen remarkable improvement. All of this, the minister pointed out, helped the Serbian Army today to be recognized and known not only in the Western Balkans, but also far beyond.

- We finished the reform of military medical and military schools, established the University of Defense and became a scientific and educational institution that has seen the largest number of potential candidates to study at the military academy. We raised this interest and more than expected, so now we have seven candidates for one vacant position. You have performed a large number of military exercises, carried out a number of other activities and met all the criteria so today we can safely say that our military is functioning in a manner that meets the necessary criteria - said Sutanovac emphasizing that in the last four years, we managed to develop the capacities of the defense industry, , which meant helping our defense factories and the people who work in these factories to sell their products and to open new job positions.

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We successfully completed another big project, namely, completing the professionalization of the Serbian Armed Forces, which was officially launched by the Ministry of Defence in 2003, only to be completed last year- as defense minister remarked.

According to him, the project has not only introduced the modern and contemporary Serbian Armed Forces into our society, but a large number of young people can simply find work in the defense system. Unlike the days when we paid recruits and had to spend money, said the minister, now we have people who support their families due to the defense and the Army of Serbia.

- We introduced the possibility of voluntary military service, and we changed a poor tradition of recent years into a good one- finding ways to avoid military service. Today people are trying to get into voluntary military service, which shows that the confidence of citizens and especially young people as one of the priorities that we have managed to fulfill. The Serbian armed forces today is a public authority with the greatest trust of the citizens of Serbia - said the defense minister adding that the above mentioned achievements are not only the result of the hard work of the Minister of Defense Staff, but, rather, the whole system should be merited, including the soldiers preserves the security of southern Serbia in one of our military bases, to our soldiers in peacekeeping missions, and even those who are here today and those in various missions around the world.

In order for the reform to be successful, it was necessary to motivate all the people who participated in it, said the minister, stressing that he was aware of the difficulty of the task.

- I know it was hard and I know that from the very beginning we did not all embark on this huge task with the same energy and eagerness, but now when you look at the reform in our society, when you look at the defense system, I am are proud to say that we managed to accomplish most of the goals and that we get very top marks for everything we have done - said Sutanovac noting that these praises can be heard from abroad at a number of international meetings, from many senior statesmen who visited our ministry.

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All this obliges members of the system, especially those awarded by the Serbian president, to continue to work with the same energy - said the Minister of Defence Dragan Sutanovac.

Gold Medals for diligent service have been awarded to General Miloje Miletic, Lt Generals Alexander Zivkovic, Mladen Cirkovic, Peter Radojcic Major General Miodrag Jevtic, Dragan Kolundzija, Brigadier Generals Cedomir Brankovic, Danko Jovanovic, Veljko Todorovic and George Celic, Colonels Stevan Brusin, Miroslav Knezevic and Sidor Misovic.

Furthermore, the following were also awarded medals for hard work and diligence Lt Col Vasil Mehandziski Warrant Officer Mile Jovanovic, civil servant Zorica Biro, military employees Bela Balint, Ljiljana Galik, Bosko Dimitrijevic, Vojin Marinkovic, Milan Milovanovic, Mile Stojkovic, Dragan Tolic and Ilija Erakovic and Radovan Janjic.

Silver medals awarded for diligent service went to Colonels Bratoljub Brkljaca, Bosko Zeljkovic, Dejan Jankovic, Dragan Kotarlic, Goran Momcilovic, Dusko Ristivojevic, Nenad Svrkota, Miroslav Cupic, Lieutenants Mladen Stojanovic and Ljiljana Stojkovic and Majors Miloje Zdravkovic, Vesko Mimovi? and Free Cikaric.

Also, the Silver Medal for diligent service went to Captain Miroslav Bosnjak, Dragomir Tepic, Sergeant First Class Mohammed Durgut, warrant officers Miroljub Janicijevic Njegos Petrovic, Ljubisa Rasula, civil servant Biljana Babic and military employees Milos Lazic, Milosav Mijailovic, Radenko Mutavdžic, Dostana Spasic and Dane Cirkovic.

Today's ceremony of awarding military decorations is the third in a row, while the previous two commemorative medals were presented to participants in multinational operations on the occasion of the national holiday, Day of Victory over Fascism, and National Day of the Republic of Serbia and the Day of the Serbian Armed Forces.