MiG-29 jet fighters of the Russian aerobatic team Strizhi (Swifts) perform during a military parade and air show at the airport in Batajnica, near Belgrade, on Oct. 20, 2017. Serbia held a military parade and air show on Friday to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of its capital city's liberation during the Second World War. (Xinhua/Predrag Milosavljevic)
BELGRADE, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- Serbia held a military parade and air show on Friday to celebrate the 73rd anniversary of its capital city's liberation during the Second World War.
The demonstration was held at a military base outside Belgrade where Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu presented six Mig-29 aircraft as a gift to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic before the military exercise began.
In his speech after the drill display, Vucic said that Serbia was a sovereign, independent and free country that wished to build friendly relations with the region, and wanted to represent peace, and be a reliable and stable partner to everyone.
"We are not afraid to negotiate, but let no one think that we negotiate because we are afraid. Today, with an army getting better and better equipped, stronger, and with salaries increasing every day, this message has never been clearer than before," he said, according to a government press release.
He thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin and Shoygu for the equipment that they donated to Serbia.
"We will always celebrate this day with our Russian friends that, together with other Soviet nations, Serbian and other Yugoslavian nations, liberated Belgrade and gave their lives for freedom," he said.
