13.09.2011.

Final conference of the NATO/PfP Trust Fund for helping redundant military personnel

The final conference of the NATO/PfP trust fund for assisting and resettling redundant military personnel started in the House of Guards in Topcider. This two-day conference was opened by MoD State Secretary Igor Jovicic.

The conference was attended by the Chief of Serbian armed forces General Staff General Miloje Miletic, State Secretary Tanja Miscevic, PhD as well as State Secretary Igor Jovicic, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to Serbia Mr. Nils Ragnar Kamsvåg, senior director of the NATO Command Directorate for Integrations, Partnership and Cooperation Jaroslav Skonietzka, chief of the Sector for Prompt Response in Emergency Situations of the International Organization for Migrations Mario Milanka Lito, including the representatives of the Serbian MoD and SAF, ambassadors and DAs of 18 donor countries, and of IOM, which participated in the realization of the project as well as the representatives of embassies interested in experiences Serbia has had while reforming its army.

According to Secretary Jovicic, this project which started six years ago, was assessed to be one of the most successful projects of that type.

Today’s conference is an opportunity to share various experiences and once again to see its success. The project has been under way since 2006 and during its implementation it has helped more than 4000 members of defense system who have been made either redundant or retired, as Jovicic stated. On that occasion, he thanked the Kingdom of Norway as a leading donor country on behalf of all those who had received the support from this project.

Speaking about further steps relating to the said project, State Secretary Jovicic stressed that the finalization of the project had enabled the Ministry of Defense to help the personnel who will be retired due to their age, and this project’s success serves as a recommendation for Serbia as a reliable and serious partner for future projects.

The ambassador of Norway to Serbia Mr. Nils Ragnar Kamsvåg on that occasion remarked on behalf of all donor countries that the project had been successfully completed.

The project provided relief and assistance for more than 6 000 members of the SAF who needed help, and not only to them but to their families as well. Furthermore it had a positive impact on the whole socioeconomic development of the country thus adding to the stability of Serbia, as the Norwegian ambassador said adding that this project was part of the reform process.

The goal of the final conference of the NATO/PfP Trust Fund for resettling redundant military personnel within the PRISMA project is to demonstrated the results achieved, and to present it as a model for developing similar projects in the region in future.