07.02.2014.

New flats for members of the defence system

The keys of thirty-six apartments on the site of the former "Stepa Stepanovic" barracks in Belgrade were handed over to active and retired members of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces today by the Minister of Defence in the technical government Nebojsa Rodic.

Congratulating the new owners, including those waiting for the apartment for several decades, the Minister said that, only in the last six months, 179 families, out of a total of 617 since the project began, moved in this village

- Since we are in the middle of a time that is defined as a pre-election period, some might object that this activity is a pre-election marketing, but since September last year, we have handed over the keys here every month, which proves that it is a continuity and a clear evidence of care of both the government and the Ministry of Defence for the members of the Serbian Armed Forces, not only in Belgrade but throughout Serbia – in Nis, Vranje, Valjevo, Cacak, Gornji Milanovac, Vrsac, where a total of 153 residential units were inhabited over the last six months.

The Minister of Defence in the technical government reminded that there still remained 162 apartments in the "Stepa Stepanovic" complex, which will soon be occupied, in accordance with the planned schedule.

- We will continue with the same model of solving housing problems of the members also in the future, in cooperation with the Building Directorate of Serbia; thus we have located a new space in which we will, hopefully this year already, start with the construction of new residential complex in which a portion of the housing units will be intended for the members of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces.

Minister Rodic reminded that this is just another way of solving the housing problem, and that, apart from allocating the apartments, funding is approved each month for individual solving of housing issues.

The minister was the first guest in the apartment of the retired Lieutenant Colonel Gojko Rajak, one of the tenants, who pointed out that he is happy to finally have a roof over his head.

- I had an apartment while I was serving in the Slavonian Pozega, and when I was left Croatia with the army, I lived for some time in Sremska Mitrovica, but mostly in Belgrade, as a sub-tenant. The last nine years of service I spent exactly in the barracks "Stepa Stepanovic". I have been waiting for this so many years, and now I feel like I have solved the existential issue.

Handover of the keys was attended by Jasminka Todorov, Assistant Minister for Material Resources, Major General Sladjan Djordjevic, Head of Department for Human Resources, and Nebojsa Surlan, Director of the Building Directorate of Serbia.

Responding to questions of journalists, Minister Rodic said that there was no serious buyer to purchase the building of the former General Staff, adding that by the end of the month, the landscaping in front of the building will be completed.