Ministry of defence Republic of Serbia
 
05.11.2015.

New speculations of the Military Union of Serbia



Regarding the statement of one of 11 different military unions in which they presented tendentious untruths on the renovation and use of the facility in Milovan Glisic Street, we emphasize the following:

The building in Milovan Glisic Street is not used and not refurbished for the needs of the Defence Minister, but for the accommodation of foreign delegations visiting the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces.

Defence Minister Bratislav Gasic lives in a military facility at Jevrem Grujic Street, as well as most of the previous ministers of defence. Before moving, the building was equipped by Minister Gasic with a personal donation to the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces in the amount of over one million dinars. The general public and military unions are well acquainted with his personal humanitarian activities, as well as the fact that his salary is 89,180.45 dinars.

After a comprehensive analysis of the costs and expenses for representation, which relate primarily to pay for accommodation and food service activities (official lunches and dinners) for foreign delegations that come to official visit to the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces, a decision was made on the rationalization of costs. Accommodation for the majority of foreign delegations will be provided free of charge at military facilities, and food for the purpose of official lunches and dinners will be prepared by the Military institution Dedinje and other units, which will save funds spent for the same purpose at hotels and restaurants.

What kind of cost rationalization is in question is illustrated by the following examples: the costs of hotel accommodation with breakfast for foreign delegation on the level of Chief of Staff on 31 July and 1 August 2015 amounted to 130,156.00 dinars. If the building in Milovan Glisic Street had been used, accommodation and lodging expenses would have amounted to around 10,000.00 dinars, which is more than 13 times cheaper. Lunch for a five-member delegation of a Western country, which insisted to be in a certain restaurant, cost 59,219.00 dinars, and organized by Military Institution Dedinje it would have cost up to 15,000.00 dinars. One of the organizational units of the Ministry of Defence, which will use the facility in Milovan Glisic Street, in the past five years, has spent more than 8,000,000.00 dinars for food and accommodation in hotels.
Note that during 2010 and 2011, the accommodation and lodging expenses of foreign military delegations amounted to almost 46,000,000.00 dinars, and this year 13 million dinars. By accommodating and providing food for delegations at military facilities, costs will multiply decrease, because the accommodation at military facilities is free, and the food will be provided Military Institution Dedinje.

In accordance with the decision of the Minister of Defence, works began on arrangement of facilities of the Serbian Armed Forces, as did the lease of a new building for the reception of foreign delegations. For this purpose, the building in 3 Milovan Glisic Street in Senjak has been leased from DIPOS agency for a monthly fee of about 70,000.00 dinars. The building was renovated by the Guard of the Serbian Armed Forces. For this facility, the Ministry of Defence has allocated 3,381,000.00 dinars for the purchase of equipment and furniture in a tender. Also, the landscaping around the building was realized in the form of procurement worth less than 400,000.00 dinars, and performed by the PUC Krusevac, which was selected as the preferred contractor.

To accommodate foreign delegations, renovate the building in Andra Nikolic Street is also under renovation, while one of the objects in the General Staff has been previously renovated to provide accommodation for lower-level delegations. Also, with the aim of saving, for the purposes of official meetings and lunches with foreign delegations, salons in the Central Military Club in Belgrade have been put into use.

The union that represents itself as the sole one is the same one that asked the Minister of Defence for luxury automobiles, rooms, telephones, and a secretary.
 
MOD
Ministry of defence Republic of Serbia, Bircaninova 5 street, Belgrade
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