Aleksandar Vucic, Nebojsa Stefanovic (BETAPHOTO/DEFENCE MINISTRY/EV)
Serbian Defense Minister Nebojsa Stefanovic said on July 21”he hopes” that a new salary raise will take place by the end of the year because Serbia is registering economic growth.
“We have raised the salaries of soldiers by almost 17 percent, and soon a new increase will follow. I have constantly been seeking higher salaries [for soldiers], but I am not realistic, because that is possible only if the country is economically progressing,” Stefanovic told Prva TV.
The minister also said that the situation in the army is not “ideal”, but that his ministry has managed to ensure that “the inflow of people surpasses outflow.” “Some 8,000 to 9,000 people have left, while about 8,000 have joined. Of course, the raise in salaries played a role,” Stefanovic said.
“We want to make an analysis where the new equipment is needed, because some of our machines are about 70 years old. The General Staff has defined what the army will need by 2030,” the minister explained.
Speaking about Dejan Stojkovic, a soldier who died during a recent military exercise at the Pester plateau, Stefanovic said that the investigation is in progress and that the public will be informed of results as soon as it ends.
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