Protection of country and peace are Serbian army's vision

BELGRADE - Defence Minister Nebojsa Rodic has said in comment to Serbian Armed Forces Day, April 23, that the Serbian soldiers draw from the army's great tradition to form a clear vision of how to achieve their primary mission, to protect the country and preserve peace.

The Serbian Armed Forces' efforts in natural disaster relief in recent days showed efficiency in peacetime, but also that the military would perform equally well in wartime should that be necessary, he said at a reception marking Serbian Armed Forces Day, held on Wednesday.

"I hope those trials are a thing of the past and that the Serbian Armed Forces and Serbia will never face such challenges again, but also that should such a thing happen, the members of the Serbian Armed Forces would go about their tasks in an honourable, responsible and shivalrous fashion, as they have done so far," Rodic stated.

"The strategic direction of the development of the Serbian military is set by our country's political agenda, mostly the foreign policy, based on military neutrality, but also intensive military cooperation with all those dealing in security, from the regional to global level, through different modalities ranging from participation in peace missions to cooperation in military education," he noted.

Besides achievements in domestic affairs, the Armed Forces have also proven themselves in foreign affairs, since they have improved Serbia's image internationally by taking part in UN and EU peace missions, the minister remarked.

The reception in Belgrade was hosted by Rodic and Chief of the General Staff Ljubisa Dikovic. Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic, government ministers, Serbian Orthodox Church Patriarch Irinej, top military officers, diplomats and...