PM on Russian base in Serbia: "First I've heard of it"

PM on Russian base in Serbia: "First I've heard of it"

Vucic's remark concerns recent media reports that Russia was interested in setting up a second base in Serbia, after the Humanitarian Center in Nis. No Serbian official previously commented on these reports.

Vucic today announced new agreements with Russia to buy military equipment and said there were "requests and pleas" sent to Moscow, that have produced "encouraging responses."

The prime minister said that Serbian Defense Minister Zoran Djordjevic wrote to his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu, but added, "I could not present any other details."

"The response was encouraging, but the final reply will arrive by the end of June," Vucic said, revealing that "this would concern an acquisition to strengthen the fighter aviation, which is currently critical."

He said the 2017 state budget envisages considerable funds to equip the military, including plans to buy new MiG-29-m2s.

Vucic said that "the army will also be stronger along with the ever stronger Serbian economy."

"That will be the trend. We will try to improve the position of the military by the end of the year, that they have somewhat higher salaries," he said.

According to Vucic, "fighter aviation equipment" will also be bought, while next year the army will receive Nora and Lazar 3 systems, as well as "full gear for 1,500 soldiers."

"The equipment would be at the level of the best special units worldwide, so we're not ashamed," said Vucic.

He also said that his "party colleagues" objected his "mild reaction" to the message from Srebrenica about Serbian state officials being unwelcome at Potocari.

"My calm reaction to the messages from Srebrenica was not a sign of weakness, but of a considered policy, because Serbia's progress demands stability and peace in the region. I tried talking to them, explaining to them it is not our weakness not to respond to others' ugly, sometimes indecent gestures, sometimes primitive attacks from some parts of the region - but that this is our strength," said Vucic.

According to him, nobody can deny "the impressive results" achieved in the economy:

"They are impressive and next year Serbia will have the highest growth in Europe. But, the question is can we do that if we don't have stability. That's why it's important to us, to be peaceful, not to allow ourselves to be dragged neither into political nor any other confrontations."