27.06.2011.

Minister Sutanovac and general Miletic visit Kraljevo

Minister of defense Dragan Sutanovac and the Chief of General Staff General Miloje Miletic visited Kraljevo today and its surroundings.

Minister Sutanovac and the mayor of Kraljevo Ljubisa Simovic on that occasion revealed a memorial erected to honor those who were killed in this area in the period 1991-1999.

The delegations of MoD and SAF as well as of the town of Kraljevo laid commemorative wreaths along with the families of those killed and the Association of those killed in 1991-1999.

- The period of conflicts and wars in Europe ended mid last century, unfortunately, our country was caught in the war whirlwind in 1990s which caused massive material but foremost the loss of human lives. This monument as all other such monuments reminds us of the difficult times in the past, and it should serve as a messenger to all the politicians in Serbia that all the decisions they make should be firstly made to preserve life, because without life everything else is gone, as Sutanovac said.

Minister stressed that Serbia wants to coexist peacefully with its neighbours, aware of that these relations had not always been good in the past.

- Therefore, it is exactly these monuments that should serve as a reminder of the kind of policy that led to such massive victims and that it should never repeat itself. I strongly believe that Serbia today is committed to peace, as well as the whole region, most importantly to a better life of citizens, as Sutanovac pointed out.

Continuing the visit, Sutanovac and Miletic toured the renovated garrison ambulance which was severely damaged in the earthquake last year.
On that occasion Minister opened the renovated ambulance, in the renovation of which some 57 million RSD were invested to procure new equipment and to renovate it.

The earthquake which struck Kraljevo last year caused extensive damage to the industry, individuals and SAF, the overall damage being estimated at 300 million RSD, as the minister stated expressing his satisfaction at opening this renovated ambulance with the best state-f-the-art equipment in Serbia.

AS he announced, some 9300 military health care beneficiaries will now be able to get full medical service in the ambulance so they will not have to travel all the way to Nis, Belgrade or Novi sad, which will additionally save funds as some 100. 000 EUR are spent annually to cover travel expenses of the beneficiaries. This will enable us to save some 20 to 30 % of this amount, thus being able to return the invested money in a few years.

Minister underlined that the defense system was not only a factor of stability but also a factor of economic growth, since MoD has allocated more funds for Kraljevo, Kuršumlija, Vranje and Prokuplje than other more developed cities.

SAF CHOD General Miletic stated that this ambulance will provide the SAF members with better health care, not only for Kraljevo but also from Novi Pazar and Raska, adding that this is just one of many ambulances to be opened in garrisons and of many activities which modernizes our military.

The commander of the 2nd brigade general Dusan Stojnovic said that the “Jarcujak” barracks have entered final stages of renovation where tow living facilities are being adapted, while the renovation of the rest of facilities will depend on fund available.

Furthermore, at the end of their visit both Minister Sutanovac and General Miletic visited gravely ill Irena Paunovic who needs 120. 000 EUR to get treatment and an operation in Austria. Minister promised that a special humanitarian campaign will be launched by the SAF in Kraljevo to collect funds for her treatment, and that he would everything to make this an all encompassing campaign.

ANSWERING REPORTERS' QUESTIONS

Asked by reporters about the professionalisation of the army, Sutanovac said that the professionalization of the Army of Serbia had ended in an efficient and effective manner and that our experiences will even be implemented by more developed countries, such as Germany. He said that the comparative statistics of the Army of Serbia and neighboring countries shows that our army is in better shape than these armies.

Furthermore, as he added, SAF have been manned with professional soldiers with more than 90 percent and an interest to enter volunteer service in SAF since last September has been so high that there are three candidates per one vacancy. "Indeed, we can say that the process we have completed in the last four years has been done in a very efficient and effective manner. It is particularly important to note that this year we have had 150 million EUR less in the budget than in 2008, "said the Minister. He added that experts from Western countries say that Serbia has carried out the reform process better than some countries already in NATO.

"Some countries are now working on professionalization, and have come to us to take advantage of our experience. This is the case with far more developed countries, such as Germany.

Regarding recent news about the disclosure of confidential reports regarding the preparations for the defense in recent years, which have been considered by MP, alleging that some companies and institutions ignore these preparations, Sutanovac said that despite the fact that he was angry that there has been such a leak of information, he was 0pleased that these preparations have been done properly according to the new model.

"It is obvious that certain companies are not yet ready to be involved in the preparation process, I hold no grudge if they were not ready now, but I would be most if they are not ready in the future. We are in contact with everyone and it seems that today we are in a much better shape so hopefully, in future, we will attain the desired level, as the minister said He noted that they were all beginners in this and that there is no desire to punish anyone but rather to improve the system and that we are moving in that direction.

The Minister reiterated that what is classified as official secret or confidential, should not be made public, if we want to build a state based on law. "Unfortunately, this document is out of the parliament, which precisely defines the laws and problem lies in the responsibility of those who now sit in the Assembly , "said the minister.