Vucevic: Serbia has not sold arms to warring sides in Ukraine

BELGRADE - Serbian Defence Minister Milos Vucevic said on Tuesday the national defence industry had not exported arms to the warring sides in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

"For ten days now, we have been explaining that we are not exporting military equipment to either the Russian or the Ukrainian side. Show me a paper indicating that our weapons can be re-exported. We are a responsible party that keeps its word and abides by international treaties, because that is how you build the credibility of your country," Vucevic told Pink TV.

"Everything the Serbian defence industry is exporting goes exclusively to buyers who bring certificates showing that they are licenced end-users. For extra protection, the Serbian side inserts a mandatory clause for the licenced end-user stipulating that arms cannot be re-exported without the consent of the Serbian side," Vucevic noted.

He said one fifth of arms produced by the national defence industry remained in Serbia for the purpose of strengthening the Serbian Armed Forces.

We should be proud of our defence industry, which is directly employing 20,000 people and, if you take subcontractors into account, the number is 45,000, Vucevic said.