VISIT OF THE STATE DEPARTMENT TO THE REPUBLIC OF SERBIA
In the period from 16 to 17 November, 2022, the Mine Action Centre was visited by representatives of the U.S. State Department.
Representatives of the State Department had the opportunity to learn about the current situation in the Republic of Serbia regarding the remaining contamination by mines, cluster munition and other explosive remnants of war, as well as the challenges and the need for support.
During the visit, representatives of the State Department, together with representatives of the US Embassy in the Republic of Serbia and the ITF International Foundation for Enhancing Human Security, visited the expanded business capacities of the Mine Action Centre, classroom with a training ground and a field, in Grocka, where international EOD trainings are held since 2020 year. They had the opportunity to become more familiar with the work of the Mine Action Centre and with the results achieved since the establishment of the Centre.
In the organization of the Mine Action Centre, during their stay in Serbia, representatives of the State Department and the ITF visited the working site of the Project for clearing cluster munition "Borovac 5", in the municipality of Bujanovac, where they met with representatives of the Emergency Situations Headquarters of the municipality of Bujanovac, the engaged contractor and monitoring organization. At the site itself, a demonstration of techniques for searching terrain contaminated by cluster munitions was performed, and the present progress on the aforementioned project was presented to the attendees.
Also, remaining locations in the municipality of Bujanovac, which are suspected of being contaminated by groups of mines, which were discovered after fires and explosions in 2021, were visited.
We would like to remind, that the US government has been one of the most important donors since the establishment of the Mine Action Centre, where it places its donations in the field of humanitarian demining in the Republic of Serbia through the ITF.
The Republic of Serbia and the Mine Action Centre express great gratitude to the USA and the ITF for their support, since the removal of explosive remnants of war, as well as comprehensive mine action activities, contributes, first of all, to the creation of conditions for safe living and development in the territory of the whole of Serbia.
