- The Ministry of Defence of the People's Republic of China and Central Military Commission have once again helped our people, our country and the Serbian Armed Forces. And yet again when things are hard and when we fight with the continuation of this terrible pandemic, the People's Republic of China and its armed forces are with the citizens of Serbia - pointed out Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin, who with Ambassador of the People's Republic of China Chen Bo attended handover of donated medical supplies for prevention and control of the pandemic which the Ministry of Defence of the People's Republic of China donated to our Ministry of Defence.

According to him, the assistance is measured both by its value, since its value is 755,000 euros, and the time of its arrival.

- Again, the assistance came from PR China precisely in the moment when we needed it and it contains exactly what we need. We have received a lot of mobile respirators, monitors, pumps for infusion solution, thermometers, temperature measurement helmets - we have received everything that we really require in this moment, and the Serbian Armed Forces require it the most because of the mobile and provisional hospitals that we have installed and because of which we require equipment that can be moved from one place to another - Minister Vulin pointed out.

The minister of defence added that the People's Republic of China had once again reconfirmed our friendship of steel, and that Serbia never forgot its friends.

- There are countries which are closer to us, and there are countries which because of our history and everything that we did had reasons to be even grateful. But the PR China treats us as though we had the same border and as if we always shared the same history - Minister Vuline highlighted, adding that our two countries were connected by the same values - love for freedom. Respect for all people and nations is something that makes the same and it makes us proud that we can say that PR China is our friend.

Ambassador Chen Bo expressed her satisfaction with attending the handover of the donation from Chinese armed forces to the Serbian Armed Forces for the fight against COVID-19.

- The armed forces of our two countries play a very important role in the fight against the virus in their countries. Also, they have given a great contribution to the cooperation between China and Serbia in their joint fight against the virus. Now, Serbia is facing immense challenges of the second impact of the pandemic, and as the friends of steel we are ready to continue fighting together with our Serbian friends. I hope that today’s donation will contribute to the fight against the virus in Serbia, and that everything will be good and that it will be better - Chen Bo stressed.

Head of Military Health Department, Brigadier General Uglješa Jovičić highlighted that the armed forces of PR China was still with us in the military health system, and generally in the Ministry of Defence and Serbian Armed Forces, and that it had continued providing assistance in the fight against.

At the beginning our colleagues, friends and doctors came from China, and they were with us all the time, and they helped us set up hospitals the way it should be done, and since our Chinese friends have remained in contact with us, they recognised what we require now from the medical point of view. In this second phase we have received a valuable donation – a great number of movable respirators, infusion pumps, monitors and everything that we need for our field hospitals so that they can function as COVID hospitals – and for “Karaburma” and the hospital in Novi Pazar and for Novi Sad which will tomorrow start working as a COVID hospital, and fro non-COVID Military Medical Academy and Military Hospital in Niš. This is truly great help for our doctors, our medical staff, so that we could help, and I would especially underline that the field hospital in Novi Pazar is set up under tents. All this is necessary for successful work there – state General Jovičić.

General Jovičić and Defence Attaché of the People’s Republic of China in Serbia Senior Colonel Wu Yongjie signed a Certificate on donation handover in the Military Medical Academy.

In order to provide support in the fight against Covid-19 outbreak, the Ministry of Defence of the People’s Republic of China donated to the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Serbia medical equipment for prevention and control of the pandemic in the value of some 755,000 euros.

The medical equipment, which is primarily intended for suppression of the epidemic, and for treatment of patients suffering from infection caused by coronavirus, includes 40 non-invasive respirators for mechanical ventilation of the lungs of the patients with grave forms of the virus infection, 20 monitors for monitoring vital functions of the patients, 30 infusion pumps – intravenous therapy devices, five mobile infrared thermometers and sic thermal vision helmets for remote body temperature measurement.

The donated medical equipment will be distributed according to the requirements of defence system, military health establishments, and the needs of all health establishments for prevention of coronavirus outbreak in the Republic of Serbia.

The donation handover was also attended by Assistant Minister for Defence Policy Milan Ranković MSc and representatives of Military Health Department.