Gasic: MiGs to stay in Serbia

BELGRADE - Serbian Defence Minister Bratislav Gasic on Tuesday dismissed as untrue reports by some local and regional media outlets that an agreement Serbia has signed with France's Dassault Aviation to buy 12 new Rafale fighter jets includes a clause under which Serbian MiG 29s will be transferred to France and then to Ukraine.

"This is one in a series of notorious lies and fabricated stories that are aimed exclusively at casting a shadow over the acquisition of 12 brand new 4th-generation Rafale multirole fighter planes. The MiGs Serbia has are Serbian and we will never give them to anyone," Gasic said in a statement released by the Serbian MoD.

He noted that, thanks to President Aleksandar Vucic's responsible policy, Serbia had acquired 14 upgraded MiG-29 fighters while, a little over a decade ago, Serbia's fighter air force had been devastated due to "efforts" by former army chief Zdravko Ponos and similar people, to the extent that, at times, no MiG-29s had been capable of taking off to protect Serbian airspace.

"In no event will Serbia give up on its MiG 29s, which will be quite usable for a certain number of years to come. Moreover, we will continue to acquire modern combat systems to boost the capabilities of the Serbian Armed Forces and preserve peace and stability," Gasic noted.