Keepin touch

Whether you have a question, comment, suggestion or any problem in the purview of the government, send us your message and we will try to respond as soon as possible. If your problem is not in our purview, we will forward your message to the relevant institution.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Serbia adopts national security, defence strategies

Belgrade, 2 April 2009

Serbian Minister of Defence Dragan Sutanovac said that at today’s session the government adopted the national defence strategy and the national security strategy and for the first time in its history Serbia now has national defence and security strategies.

Dragan Sutanovac

Speaking at a press conference Sutanovac said that the national security strategy is a general state programme to protect national interests.

The Minister stressed that the defence strategy defines the guidelines for defence interests, the Serbian Army’s tasks and missions and the structure, functioning and development of the defence system.

Sutanovac said that a report on rationalization in public administration and reducing the number of local government officials, prepared by Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government Milan Markovic, was examined at the government’s session.

He said that because of expenditure cuts the Defence Ministry will revise its plans but this will not affect the security issue in southern Serbia, adding that the number of both the professional Serbian Army soldiers serving in the Ground Safety Zone, and their salaries, will not be reduced.

He said that the process of the profesionalisation of the Serbian Army will be continued in accordance with available funds.

He said that the Serbian government at its session today did not discuss new savings measures which could reduce the budget deficit by RSD 100 million, pointing to the fact that the plan which was presented at the time when the arrangement with the IMF was announced is still in force.

Slobodan Homen

State Secretary at the Ministry of Justice Slobodan Homen said that according to a decision by the Serbian government the details concerning the Miladin Kovacevic case are no longer classified as a state secret and the Serbian government has paid $900,000 to the Steinhauer family to cover Bryan Steinhauer’s medical expenses, in accordance with the agreement reached with US representatives. The government have removed the state secret label from Kovacevic’s case and are waiting for the US prosecutor to formally transfer the case to the Serbian judicial authorities, he announced. Homen recalled that the negotiations were in four phases and added that the Kovacevic case will be conducted in the Second Municipal Court in Belgrade when the papers from the United States arrive, presumably within seven to ten days.