Minister Vulin Visiting the 4th Army Brigade

Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin, accompanied by Chief of General Staff of Serbian Armed Forces General Ljubiša Diković, visited today the members of the 4th Army Brigade in the barracks “The first infantry regiment of Prince Miloš the Great”. 

During the visit, the minister visited with his associates the memorial room of the 4th Army Brigade and attended a demonstration exercise of the 46th Tank Battalion in the barracks.

On that occasion, the minister of defence met the Mayor of the town of Vranje, Slobodan Milenković and Head of Pčinja Administrative District Srećko Pejaković. The today’s visit to Vranje was continued by the visit from the minister of defence and the head of the district to engineer works conducted by the members of the 410th Engineer Battalion at the shooting range Gornji Vrtogoš.

 

After the visits and meetings, Minister Vulin pointed out that the 4th Brigade discharges its functions with great enthusiasm and great perseverance and great effort.

 

- These are not just regular functions, this is not solely being a member of Serbian Armed Forces; on the area where the 4th Brigade is situated there are always additional challenges and requirement for additional engagement. From the migrant crisis, to rather often political sensitivities, the members of the 4th Brigade show that the members of Serbian Armed Forces are always there when it is needed and that they are always there to protect their country in the best possible way, to protect their citizens, to protect our everyday way of life. The members of the 4th Brigade take care of the assets they possess, they cherish their tradition, they make sure that they are always ready to discharge their tasks – Minister Vulin stressed.

 

According to his words, the town of Vranje respects that and in general the entire south of Serbia respects its 4th Brigade, and the members of Serbian Armed Forces and the minister added that the topic of that day’s meeting was how the town of Vranje and the administrative district could help regarding the employment of the family members and the resolution of the housing issue of our members. Another topic was how the civilian authorities and local government could prove to what extent they appreciate and respect all that the members of the 4th Brigade and the members of the Serbian Armed Forces in general had been doing.

 

- It is up to me, as the minister, to improve the conditions, and they have to be better, and as much as they work, the conditions must be better. The enthusiasm of these men and the hard work of these men deserve our respect, and of course, it is up to us to enable that the energy and the enthusiasm could be used in an easier way, and that they could yield better results. That is something on what we will work together in the future, and as you can see, the majority of the facilities here was built by the work and strength of the very members of the 4th Brigade, and they did not wait for something to come from Belgrade, and they did not wait to receive a budget of a kind, but they organised themselves and achieved a lot. I am proud of them, and I hope that they will be more satisfied with their situation and their accommodation – Minister Vulin stated.

Minister Vulin emphasised that the members of defence system could expect a rise in salaries by the end of the year.

 

- The salaries will be increased by 10 per cent in the Serbian Armed Forces. The Supreme Commander has set it as the first task of the Government of the Republic of Serbia and all of us so that a significant increase can be seen immediately and that it can be instantly felt that the life is going to get better in the Serbian Armed Forces and it is one of the ways to show our gratitude and to express how much we appreciate all our members of Serbian Armed Forces. Certainly, that is not going to be the only measure that will better the quality of lives of the members of Serbian Armed Forces, that will help their families as well, but that will be the subject in the forthcoming period, but as you see, the role of the Serbian Armed Forces is extremely appreciated, each its member respected and we wish to make the military profession prestigious one as it used to be. These people deserve all our respect and esteem, but their material state has to be in accordance with that – Minister Vulin underlined.

 

Speaking about security situation in the south of Serbia in the Ground Safety Zone, the minister of defence assessed that the security situation is stable and peaceful and under control.

 

- All the citizens can be at peace and assured that our state and our military fully control this area. We certainly pay attention that any negative political influences are not spilled over this area. We treat every citizen of this country entirely equally and for us there is no difference whatsoever in terms of their religion and nationality, and that is something that the members of the 4th Brigade demonstrate and prove every day. Furthermore, particular interest is in the significant pressure and consequences of the migrant crisis where the members of Serbian Armed Forces have been significantly engaged both when it comes to border control and the control of illegal migratory flows, and when it comes to the direct work with illegal migrants located in this area. The members of Serbian Armed Forces in this segment as well made our country proud for what it received commendations by the entire world – Minister Vulin pointed out.

The mayor of Vranje and the head of Pčinja administrative district praised the cooperation so far with the Serbian Armed Forces and local government, adding that the military had always been there for the people of that area.