02.09.2015.

Chief of General Staff with the Guardsmen in Beijing

In the suburbs of Beijing, foreign sub-echelons spent today resting and preparing for the tomorrow's big parade. Everybody has stage fright. However, it seems that the Serbian sub-echelons has it the most, as they have marched today along the runway once more, while their readiness level was assessed from the platform by the watchful eye of the Chief of General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces General Ljubisa Dikovic.

As one, in perfect formation, Serbian Guardsmen have proved once again why they are the ones chosen to represent our country at the largest parade in the world. The parade of officers and soldiers, known for their perfect military step, met the general's high expectations. And while members of one of the most elite Serbian units rehearsed marching once again, the first man of the General Staff showed his pride that he has such people in his army.

- I am exceptionally satisfied with the level of preparedness of our echelon. I know very well that members of our Guard set off with great responsibility and burden to appropriately represent Serbia. We are pleased and proud to say that our guys are ready to shine tomorrow, General Dikovic said noting that the Guards approached the assigned task again with the utmost professionalism, and no wonder that the hosts have nothing but words of praise for them. He conveyed them the greetings of all the members of the Serbian Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence stressed that their participation is monitored with great interest in Serbia every day.

In conversation with the Chief of General Staff the Guards commended the host and the capacities that were made available to them, stressing that they made effort during the three-week stay in Beijing that their only task is practicing.

- Excellent rating by the Chief of General Staff is the result of our work, not only before this parade, but also those in Moscow and Belgrade. From task to task we are better and better prepared, Lieutenant Colonel Vladimir Vukajlovic said, noting that the guardsmen will show their skills at the largest square in the world tomorrow.

Later during the day, Chief of General Staff attended the dinner of heads of delegations, hosted in the building of the Central Military Committee. More than 100 guests toasted to peace and victory over fascism with the Vice Chairman of the Central Military Commission, General Fan Changlong.

The entire Chinese capital is marked by the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the victory over fascism and the triumph of the people of China in the liberation struggle against Japan. The streets around the main square have been closed since yesterday and the traffic is reduced throughout the city. Platforms at Tiananmen Square are ready to accommodate all the guests, and the high-level delegations from numerous countries have been arriving in Beijing in large numbers in the last days.

The parade on the occasion of the Great Jubilee begins tomorrow at 10 a.m. at local time or 4.00 a.m. CET. The parade and participation of our Guardsmen in it will be monitored from the main platform at Tiananmen Square by the President of the Republic of Serbia Tomislav Nikolic and the delegation of the Serbian Armed Forces led by General Dikovic.