Vucevic: Military parade was impressive, Serbian Armed Forces a guarantor of peace

BELGRADE - Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) leader Milos Vucevic, who is also adviser to the president of Serbia for regional affairs, said Saturday's Strength of Unity military parade in Belgrade had been impressive and that a small number of people were trying to say something negative about it.

In an appearance on Pink TV, Vucevic said nervousness shown by Sarajevo and Zagreb was a sign the parade was a success.

"What has been done in the Serbian Armed Forces in 13 years in terms of equipment, arms and the way our soldiers and officers look is incredible. It is a different army when it comes to image. It is a liberation army that has faced major rises and challenges. It is something that is rightly an institution that enjoys the greatest trust among Serbian citizens. The Serbian church, the president and the army enjoy the greatest trust," Vucevic said.

He said Aleksandar Vucic's coming to the Defence Ministry in 2012 had been crucial because Vucic had understood what must be done - above all, to stop a destruction of the Serbian Armed Forces in every sense.

"I congratulate the president of the state and the Defence Ministry. I have been at that ministry for two years, what has been done is fantastic," Vucevic said.

"We saw domestic production, an Israeli system, American Hummers, German and Russian helicopters. I do not know who can demonstrate that," he said, adding that the parade had been attended by around 40,000 people.

Vucevic said that, considering global and regional affairs and that Zagreb and Ljubljana were "in some kind of alliance" and a part of NATO, what had been demonstrated on Saturday was a "clear message: Do not touch us and we will not touch you."

"Whoever comes as a friend will be welcomed in line with our hospitality. The Serbian Armed Forces are a guarantor of peace," Vucevic noted.