10.11.2009.

Reception occasioned by the Day of the Military Security Agency

On occasion of 12 November-the Day of the Military Security Agency, a reception was held last evening which was attended by Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic, Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac, Minister of the Interior Ivica Dacic, MPs, ministers in the Government, Director of the Police Milorad veljkovic, Director of BIA (Security Intelligence Agency of Serbia) Sasa Vukadinovic as well as the members of the diplomatic corps and military diplomatic corps, of MoD and SAF, and of the Serbian orthodox Church.

The present guests were greeted by the director of the Military Security Agency Svetko Kovac, who conveyed sincere congratulations of Boris Tadic, the President of Serbia, reminding the present guests that 12 November was established as the Day of the Agency as on 12 November 1839 a military law of Serbia was adopted.

„170 years later, in October this year, Serbia has for the first time adopted a law on security agencies, which is drafted in line with today’s standards in the world and recommendations”, as Kovac said, stressing that this law has created conditions for establishing a normative-legal framework for the functioning of military services. “We have established competences in a very transparent manner, as well as powers and procedures for approving and implementation of certain measures while at the same time we have improved the mechanisms of control and supervision of military security agencies.

Furthermore, as Kovac pointed out, the conditions for finalization of reforms have also been created, as this process was launched back in 2002 and is to be finished by 2010. he also recalled the results in selecting, training and advancing personnel and improving the operational-technical and functional capabilities of the Military Security Agency.

At the ceremony on occasion of the Day of the Military Security Agency, it was said that in 2009 the agency was successful in performing all its tasks pertaining to security and counterintelligence protection especially in GSZ, as well as those tasks pertaining to countering the organized crime and corruption as well as cooperation with the ICTY.

The director of VBA Svetko Kovac remarked that the reorganization of reform goals and a more effective performing of tasks enabled this agency to become a modern service ready to respond to all changeable security challenges thus serving the best interest of the citizens of Serbia.