Aleksandar Vucic (BETAPHOTO/Biljana Ljubisavljevic)
Serbia will do everything for its army to be strong enough to remain a deterring factor for any potential aggressor, President Aleksandar Vucic said during a tour of the army barracks in Nis on Dec. 11.
"The Croatian army is an extremely strong, highly respectable force in the region, which is arming itself at a dramatic rate. We do not like to talk so much [about arming], but I know what we have to do to be a tough nut for all those making unprincipled military alliances in the neighborhood and to always have that type of deterring effect and preserve peace," Vucic said in response to negative comments by Croatian officials on the procurement of French Rafale fighter jets for the Serbian Armed Forces.
He said that the number of soldiers in military units was higher than in previous years.
"This year and the next there will be a considerably bigger [influx] due to legal amendments and enabling professional soldiers to work full-time. At the same time, the increasingly good salaries are something that draws people into the army, as well as a patriotic attitude toward the most popular institution of the state," said Vucic.
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