Vucevic: Serbia to invest in all branches of its military

BELGRADE - Serbian Defence Minister Milos Vucevic said on Thursday new investments in the military, announced by President Aleksandar Vucic, were planned for all branches of the Serbian Armed Forces.

"Investments in the air force and anti-aircraft defence system are the most demanding ones. There will be investments in land forces - mechanised units and the artillery. I was pleased to hear the announcement made by the president of the Republic in Baku yesterday, not only as regards the segment of procuring further equipment but also in the context of our need for more soldiers, officers and NCOs as part of special forces," Vucevic told Tanjug in a statement.

He added the forces should be fully professionalised and have higher salaries and leading-edge equipment.

He explained they would practically represent the main strike force of the SAF in an undesirable scenario.

"You have to prepare for it," he said, adding that it was important to plan years ahead.

Speaking about military cooperation with Azerbaijan, Vucevic said a Ministry of Defence and defence industry team had visited the country and that the hosts had expressed interest in transfers of technologies.

"Serbian defence industry products are of interest to them - above all, I am referring to 155 m Nora self-propelled howitzers and some other complex systems. To us, it is interesting to see what they have, given their experience in wars," Vucevic said.