13.11.2012.

Keys to 92 flats awarded to members of defence

First Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Aleksandar Vucic handed the keys of 92 apartments in the building 4A, 4V, 4G, 4D, 4E and 4Z.on the site of the former barracks "Vojvoda Stepa Stepanovic" Belgrade to active and retired members of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces.

On this occasion, Minister Vucic stated that he was honored to hand over of the keys to 92 families thus demonstrating that the Serbian Government, Directorate of Property and Building Directorate of Serbia would continue doing its job.

- I expect the work to be accelerated in the future and that this is not the only such project. Our job is to handle this issue even more seriously in the future as it is our duty to meet the housing needs of MoD memebrs, the defense minister said.

He added that he was proud of the fact that those who were given apartments with their families of today will be able to live in their homes and not as tenants.

- The Serbian Government shall encourage such actions in the future and we shall help our economy and those who find it difficult to obtain housing, as this means life for them, it gives them an opportunity for the future, not only for themselves but for their children, says Minister Vucic, adding that the division of housing in the neighborhood "Stepa Stepanovi?" barracks only partially solved the problem of housing in the Army as the key problem is the lack of housing for military personnel and announced that by the end of the year new solutions would be approved.

Director of the Building Directorate of Serbia Nebojsa Surlan said that construction of apartments had begun in January 2011. and that for almost two years 17 buildings had been completed.

- The Construction Directorate of Serbia will continue with the project at full capacity and we expect that by the spring of next year, 44 buildings and 4616 flats would be completed. I want to extend my congratulations to those who received the keys to flats today which became their homes, said Surlan.

Warrant Officer Ratko Patrnogic has been employed in the defense for 26 years. He has lived and worked in Croatia, Montenegro, now a member of "Kobras special battalion". Today's date is a holiday for the whole family.

- We have been waiting for this flat for 26 years. I married young right after high school. We have three children who are now adults already. It would be good if we had got that flat, but we are happy that we got it today. The apartment is a three bedroom, 82.5 square meters, and I have forgone one half of the housing unit, because we hope that our daughter will soon marry

Lieutenant Colonel Dragan Ferlan from Department of Telecommunications and Informatics has been waiting apartment also 26 years. In the meantime, he has moved 11 times, has been transferred into five units and participated in two wars.

I have mixed feelings. On the one hand, I am happy I got to this apartment after so many years, and on the other I am a little sad because I got a flat four, five years before retirement. I have a family of five and it was not easy to live as a tenant. I am pleased with the apartment and now we see it for the first time.

At the site of the former barracks, on 42 hectares of land a residential and commercial complex with 4616 flats, 156 shops, 1430 and 3300 open parking spaces has been built. The Ministry of Defence has retained 21 percent of the whole space in the "Stepa Stepanovic" barracks for accommodation of members of the Serbian Army.