The Ministry of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, in cooperation with the Embassy of Japan in the Republic of Serbia, have organized today a solemn ceremony of signing donor contracts at the Palace of Serbia, the total value of which exceeds EUR 314 thousand.
The Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government, Aleksandar Martinović, PhD, has pointed out that through POPOS donations from the Government of Japan, aid was provided to six local self-governments in the Republic of Serbia. As he has said, this aid will be used to improve the facilities of preschool institutions, utility services, and hygiene protection of persons with mental illnesses. Expressing his gratitude to Japan and its citizens for the engagement and support provided so far, Minister Martinović has emphasized that today’s event is another proof that the bilateral relations between Japan and Serbia are substantial, highly partnership-based and constantly on the rise. As he has said, the signed donor contracts speak in favour of the fact that taking care of the interests and needs of citizens, as well as taking care of the further development of local self-governments, is the highest priority of the Government of the Republic of Serbia. He also added that it is equally important for cities and municipalities to recognize MDULS as a source of strong and stable support, in order to work in partnership to overcome challenges, build better services, improve local development and raise the standard of living of citizens.
The Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of Serbia, Akira Imamura, has expressed his satisfaction for attending the signing ceremony for six new Projects for Basic Population Needs (POPOS). He has pointed out that Serbia and Japan have been friends for over 140 years, and that the two countries have never refrained from helping each other in difficult times. He mentioned that Japan still remembers the help that Serbia sent to it in 2011, when a strong earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, and pointed out that another strong earthquake hit Japan on 1 January of this year, which took away over 200 lives. As he said, the Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić offered timely aid to the people of Japan on this occasion as well. He added that the Government of Japan supports the development strategies of the Republic of Serbia, especially through Projects for Basic Population Needs (POPOS). He has pointed out that this grant scheme aims to support the citizens of Serbia, providing them with the necessary funds and services for everyday life, and that since 1999, more than EUR 16 million have been donated through POPOS. The Ambassador has stressed that today’s contracts were signed for another six new projects, worth more than EUR 314 thousand, and expressed his hope that these projects will significantly contribute to the improvement of living standards in all six municipalities, and that they will provide people with a more comfortable and safer life.
State Secretary at the Ministry of Construction, Transport and Infrastructure, Dragan Stevanović, has expressed his gratitude to Ambassador Imamura and the Government of Japan for the valuable donation, emphasizing that in the last two and a half decades, Japan had allocated more than half a billion euros in order to aid numerous beneficiaries in Serbia. He has emphasized that there is almost no municipality in Serbia that the Government of Japan did not help, which, as he has said, best speaks of the exceptional relations between the two countries and two peoples. According to him, a vehicle for the maintenance of the sewerage network intended for Svrljig, a mini excavator for Vladimirci, as well as a water truck for drinking water and street cleaning for Boljevac, will significantly help these municipalities to improve their utility services. Stevanović added that in this way, the entire Government of the Republic of Serbia shows equal commitment to large infrastructural projects and financially smaller projects, which contribute to a better quality of life for citizens in their communities, and stated that cooperation with Japanese partners and friends will be continued.
The State Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Anamarija Viček, has expressed her gratitude to the Government of Japan for recognizing the importance of investing in the system of preschool education, and pointed out that in this way, children will get even better conditions for working and staying in kindergartens. As she has said, improving the availability, quality and fairness of preschool education is one of the strategic priorities of the Government of the Republic of Serbia and the Ministry of Education.
Assistant Minister for Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, Biljana Barošević, has said that it is not surprising that Japan is a traditional donor to Serbia, bearing in mind that the bilateral relations of the two countries, and tradition spanning almost a century and a half, are characterized by friendship and mutual interest to intensify mutual cooperation and political dialogue. She has also recalled that on Vidovdan (28 June) in 2022, the President of the Republic of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, had awarded Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with the 2nd class Order of the Republic of Serbia, for preserving friendly relations and improving cooperation between the two countries, and pointed out that cooperation that brought great economic progress, significant projects and large investments to our country was established at the initiative of President Vučić and Prime Minister Abe. Barošević added that Japan has shown its friendship and goodwill towards Serbia countless times, especially towards those categories of our society with whom she works and cooperates on a daily basis and who need the support of the state leadership to a greater extent – namely, the persons with disabilities and institutions for social welfare.
The donor contracts were signed by the Ambassador of Japan to the Republic of Serbia, Akira Imamura, with the director of PI “Radost” from Vrnjačka Banja, Dragana Hadži-Ristić, director of PI “Crvenkapa” from Mali Zvornik, Jelena Nikolić, director of PUC “Usluga” from Boljevac, Zoran Konić, director of PUHC from Svrljig, Jovan Đorđević, acting director of PUC “Izvor” from Vladimirci, Nebojša Radović, and the director of the Residential Care Institution for Persons with Mental Illnesses “1.Oktobar” from Plandište, Izabela Jovanović. The event was also attended by the State Secretary at the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, Lav Pajkić, as well as by the presidents of the said municipalities for which donations were provided.
Photo gallery – source: Foto Beta / Milan Obradović
