The United States of America has given military equipment to Serbia in a bid to enhance bilateral ties and joint efforts to preserve peace.

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, accompanied by the Minister of Defence, Zoran Đorđević, Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces, General Ljubiša Diković and US Ambassador in Belgrade, Kyle Scott, attended the handover of 19 HMMWV vehicles, donated by United States of America, in the barracks “National Hero Stevica Jovanović“ in Pančevo.

The value of the vehicles handed over for the use by the Serbian Armed Forces is slightly over 3.8 million US dollars, while the overall value of 40 vehicles donated so far by the USA, including this tranche as well, amounts to more than 7.5 million US dollars.

Expressing gratitude for the donation to the Government of the United States of America, the President of the Republic underlined that those were very good vehicles with multiple purpose in both war and peace time conditions.

–    For us, for the Serbian Armed Forces, the fact which is particularly important is that the vehicles are highly efficient in close and anti-terrorist combat, and our soldiers are additionally protected, especially in armoured models which possess a very high level of protection, who, as the President pointed out, cannot be harmed even by piercing 12.7 mm.

He underscored that “Humvee” has extraordinary performances; it surpasses slopes of up to 55 degrees and “endures” 30 percent of side slope and it can ford water up to 110 cm.

-This is truly an extraordinary terrain vehicle, and that is also the opinion of our soldiers who feel safe and protected in it and I am very grateful to our friends from the USA for the donation, said the Supreme Commander of the Serbian Armed Forces who also expressed his appreciation of everything that “the friends from the Guard of Ohio” did in Kraljevo, “South” Base, Sokobanja, Prokuplje, hoping that the cooperation would be continued in the future as well.

He reminded that over last ten years, the USA conducted training of the members of Serbian Armed Forces and provided necessary infrastructure as well as the equipment for the „South“ Base, and covered all the costs of the participation of the Serbian Armed Forces in more than 30 multinational exercises, and that for the vehicles, apart from the training and equipment, the USA provided two years of free service and spare parts.

–    In the last decade, the United States of America donated the total of more than 31 million US dollars for support and development of the Serbian Armed Forces – said Ambassador Scott and explained that they were doing that in order to support the same vision set forth by President Vučić in his address in the Parliament the day before.