30.08.2014.

Donation of the Russian Federation for flood relief

The first plane containing 90 tons of humanitarian aid that was sent by the Russian Federation to the people in flooded areas in Serbia landed today at Batajnica Airport. The donation includes two sets of large mobile generators – each can supply a village with electric power, 10 sets of motor pumps, 10 mobile water tanks, 200 middle capacity thermoses and 50 large thermoses of maximum capacity of 100 liters. The donation is worth over a million Russian rubles, or 23,000 euros.

The officials of the Ministry of Defence of Russia were welcomed by Defence Minister Bratislav Gasic, who thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defence Minister Sergey Shoygu for the donation. He announced that another plane also including 90 tons of humanitarian aid will land at Batajnica Airport.

On this occasion, Minister Gasic reminded that many countries have helped Serbia in flood relief, and during his recent visit to Moscow, he told Minister Shoygu that there still are vast issues in flood relief and providing help to the afflicted citizens.

- Just 10 days after meeting with Minister Shoygu, we received the first humanitarian donation, which includes a part of the equipment earlier promised by Deputy Defence Minister Antonov at the donation evening in Moscow – Gasic said, stressing that help will be sent to the two most severely affected areas – Obrenovac and Krupanj. Aggregates and pumps will primarily be used for draining Kolubara coal mine, where the energetic sector is endangered, as coal is unreachable because of the water.

Answering a Russian reporter’s question if Serbia will impose sanctions against the Russian Federation, Minister Gasic repeated Serbia’s principle that “a peaceful solution to the Ukraine crisis is insisted on, as is for all clashes in the world, and we advocate sovereignty and territorial integrity of each member of the United Nations”.

- Serbia’s Government is not considering imposing sanctions against Russia, and we have conveyed that position to our partners in the West clearly – Defence Minister Bratislav Gasic stated, adding that “Serbia is closely connected to the Russian Federation, with whom it has very good, friendly, economic relations and support in solving the Kosovo and Metohija issue.”