Vučić: Serbia strong enough to withstand enemies old and new

President Aleksandar Vučić has warned that Serbia is once again facing forces that would prefer to see the Serbian people disappear, just as during the First and Second World Wars — though today, he said, those goals are being pursued through more sophisticated and covert means.

Speaking on August 2 at a formal ceremony for new cadets in the Banica district of Belgrade, Vučić addressed 166 graduates from the Military Academy and 20 cadets from the Medical Faculty of the Military Medical Academy. Among them were also two cadets from the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina and four from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska.

The event was attended by members of the Serbian government, as well as military representatives from Bulgaria, Egypt, Greece, Hungary, Namibia, Romania, Slovakia, the United States, and the Republika Srpska Ministry of Internal Affairs.

“We live in a world where there is no law or order,” Vučić said. “A world where our modesty is answered with arrogance and rudeness. A world in which every Serbian tear is drowned out by cheers, and every Serbian joy is met with mockery and insult. In such a world—without rules, rights, principles, or structure—we must protect and preserve our Serbia.”

Vučić emphasized that Serbia is “too small to threaten anyone,” but said it remains “brave and strong enough not to give up what belongs to it.” He recalled that Serbs suffered immensely during the world wars—losing a third of their population in World War I and hundreds of thousands in World War II—because, as he put it, others wanted them to vanish.

“Many still wish for the same outcome,” he said. “But now they are behaving more cleverly, using other methods, waiting for the right moment to do what they did in the past.”

Referring to a historic moment without naming it directly, Vučić said, “Forty-five days after those who celebrated the expulsion and death of the Serbian people, we will celebrate only our unity—not the misfortune of others. But we will demonstrate how much better equipped and prepared we are to defend our homeland today than we were 26 years ago.”

The Serbian president also reminded attendees of his earlier pledge to hold the largest-ever military parade in Belgrade this September, marking Serbian Unity Day on September 15. The event is expected to feature 10,000 military personnel and a presentation of the country's latest weapons and military systems.

By Tamilla Hasanova