07.07.2015.

Cadets of the Military Academy in Budapest

The special-purpose ship "Kozara" of the Army River Flotilla sailed into Budapest yesterday in the early morning hours, where it was welcomed by Serbian Defence Attaché in Hungary Colonel Zlatan Jeremic.

After more than twenty-four hours of continuous sailing from Backa Palanka to the Hungarian capital, the Serbian military ship stopped its powerful machines in the harbour for warships of the Hungarian armed forces.

Crew of the ship headed by River Flotilla Commander Captain Navy Andrija Andric and third-year cadets of Riverine Units branch of the Military Academy led by Captain Vladimir Milinkov, were received by the Commander of the First Regiment of warships and deminers of the Hungarian Armed Forces Colonel Attila Churgo. Welcoming the guests from Serbia he said that their visit represents a continuation of cooperation between the armed forces of Serbia and Hungary, which has been realised for years in joint exercises.

- The historical visit by the warship of the River Flotilla of the Serbian Armed Forces to our naval port is a continuation of the cooperation that started as early as in 2009. In September already two ships of the Hungarian Armed Forces will participate in a shooting exercise in Serbia, which will make the cooperation between the two armies even richer, Colonel Churgo said.

Returning the greeting, SAF Army River Flotilla Commander Captain Navy Andrija Andric pointed out that the visit of the Military Academy cadets to the naval port of the Hungarian Armed Forces and presentation of the unit that executes important tasks in the field of demining waterways is a part of the practical training of future officers of the SAF Army River Flotilla, realized in cooperation with the Hungarian Armed Forces.

- It has been for six years that we have deepened our knowledge about common tasks and navigation on the Danube River based on the principles of mutual trust, mutual exchange of information and experiences. Ever since our first meeting in Mohacs, where we were welcomed by the members of your army we were able to assure ourselves of the organisation of the waterway and safe navigation. During these few days, our cadets practiced day and night navigation, trained themselves in sailing international waterways and observing the starry sky, thus qualifying themselves for the future tasks. The knowledge acquired during the visit of the Military Academy cadets to this unit of the Hungarian Armed Forces will be a valuable experience from which the future officers of the riverine units of our Army will have benefit during their professional careers and work on their first duties, Colonel Andric said.

After the lineup and playing the Serbian and Hungarian national anthems, Colonel Attila Curgo briefly presented the unit he commands, and then the cadets of the Military Academy and a part of the "Kozara" crew visited Budapest National University where future officers of the Hungarian Armed Forces are educated, at the Military Academy. Afterwards, they visited the Hungarian Parliament, and then they were received also at the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Budapest.

On the second day of their visit to Hungary, the cadets visited Szentendre, where out of a number of five thousand Serbs who used to live there, a dozen Serbian families remained today. After visiting the Eparchy Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Budim and the Belgrade Cathedral, cadets visited the Szentendre square is full of monuments of the former Serbian presence in that city.