25.04.2015.

Sombor barracks get drinking water

Minister of Defence Braislav Gasic, Deputy Chief of General Staff Lieutenant General Jovica Draganic, Commander of the Training Command Lieutenant General Djokica Petrovic, Head of the West Backa District Rajko Majstorovic and Mayor of Sombor Sasa Todorovic attended today in Sombor the connecting of Airport barracks to the water supply system.

On this occasion, Minister Gasic stressed that, until 2003, when the Institution for preventive medical protection determined that the water did not meet the required criteria, the Sombor barracks had had its own water supply system for 60 years.

- After 12 years, with the help of local self-government, the barracks will once again have drinking water, which is very important for the Armed Forces, as drinking water used to be transported from the well, which took up significant means – Gasic said, expressing his belief that the drinking water would be connected to all objects of the barracks by the end of this summer.

Minister stressed that, according to estimations in 2010, it had been planned for 110 million euros to be allocated for the reconstruction of the water supply system at Airport barracks, but that those means were saved owing to the joint action of the Armed Forces and the local self-government, stressing that the Armed Forces is the only system that settles its expenses timely.

- It is our goal to improve the conditions in the object we are already using in 2015. It is also our plan to take two barracks in Pirot and Surdulica – Minister Gasic said and added that there are also plans for the airport in Sjenica to be cleared from leftover unexploded ordnances and for it to be made functional again.

Mayor of Sombor Sasa Todorovic stressed that SAF had always had a reliable partner in the city’s local self-government, and that this tradition would continue in the future as well.

- This is only one of the first steps we have taken for our fellow soldiers, and we will soon finish paving the lineup runway – Mayor said, adding that the city of Sombor would always be there for the Armed Forces.

Answering the press inquiries about the importance of the participation of the Serbian Armed Forces in the parade in Moscow, Minister stressed that the Serbian Armed Forces sees the seventy years since the victory over fascism as the legacy of its ancestors, and that it had responded to the invitations to military parades of other countries before, reminding that our soldiers marched in Libya in 2010, and in Paris six months ago. Gasic said that Serbia had also honoured its ancestors last year with the glorious parade “March of the Victorious”. The invitation of the Chinese military to the parade on 3rd September in Beijing proves that invitations to foreign military parades are not a rare occurrence.

Since 2003, the Sombor barracks supplied only technical water, while drinking water was transported in tanks from the city well. With the formation of the first Training Center in 2006, the initiative was started for this issue to be resolved, with many projects conducted for the cause. At this year’s oath taking of soldiers on voluntary military service, Minister of Defence arranged the resolution of this issue with the authorities of the local self-government.