Serbia plans to bring back compulsory military service

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Saturday he had signed an agreement for the return of mandatory military service in his country, which abolished it in 2011.

The compulsory service would last 75 days, he told cadets being promoted at a ceremony at the country's Military Academy. 

Serbia abolished compulsory military service 23 years ago, relying since then on a professional army.

What did Vucic say?

"I hope you all understand how much we need a strong army, how much we need to purchase and manufacture more weapons," he told his audience.

"We don't want to attack anyone. Nor will we do so. But we want to deter those who threaten us with savage relentnessness every day," he added.

Vucic gave no details on who he thought was threatening his country.

For compulsory military service to be reintroduced, both the government and the parliament — where Vucic's party holds a substantial majority — must approve the proposal.      

Vucic recently said that the government was considering the introduction of military service lasting 60 plus 15 days. The service would be mandatory for men, while women would still be able to serve voluntarily, he said. 

The president has frequently been condemned by rights groups for tending toward authoritarianism as he moved up the ranks of Serbian politics.  

This report was written with the help of material from the AFP news agency.

Edited by: Roshni Majumdar