11.07.2014.

New apartments for members of the defence system

Defence Minister Bratislav Gasic handed today the keys to 13 apartments on the location of the former “Vojvoda Stepa Stepanovic” barracks in Belgrade to active and retired members of the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces of Serbia.

Congratulating the new owners of the apartments, some of whom had waited for their residential issue to be solved for several decades, the Minister said that the Armed Forces of Serbia would intensify cooperation with the Building Direction of Serbia, because there are 19322 requests for solving of residential matter at the defence system.

- I hope that, in the next month, we will hand over 132 more apartments across Serbia, which will round off the agreement we have with the Building Direction of Serbia, and that is for members of the Armed Forces of Serbia to get a total of 932 apartments – Minister Gasic said, adding that there are several locations in the country where agreement on mutual cooperation could be reached with the Direction or local self-government.

- Earlier assessments by the Republic Administration about the value of military property have somewhere been underestimated and somewhere overestimated, and that is why now we are revising these assessments for each object, in order to reach potential investors – Minister Gasic said, stating that some local self-governments started using military property in the past period and that cooperation with them will be intensified in order to reach solutions to residential issues of members of defence systems in those cities.

After many years of living as tenants, military doctor Zivko Spanovic’s family has finally got their own apartment.

- After 37 years of working experience, 18 of which I spent in Slovenia, I got my own apartment today. My family and I are thrilled – the surgeon of many years stated, having been accommodated at the “Mileticevo” barracks in Novi Sad until today.

- This, today, is the solution to my living issue, considering the fact that I am entering my own apartment. Words cannot describe my happiness and gratitude to the Armed Forces and the State – 1st Class Sergeant Major Plavsic Petar stated. 18 years ago, he came with his family from Knin, and as of today has his own apartment.

Key handover was attended by Head of the General Staff General Ljubisa Dikovic, Director of the Building Direction of Serbia Nebojsa Surlan and representatives of the Infrastructure Department at the Material Resource Sector of the Ministry of Defence and the Military Construction Center "Belgrade".

At the location of the former barracks, on 42 hectares, a business-residential complex is being built, with 4616 apartments, 156 office premises, 1430 garage and 3300 open parking places. The Ministry of Defence holds 21% gross of building acreage at the “Stepa Stepanovic” residential area for resolving the residential issue of members of the Armed Forces of Serbia.