Another 17,000 Small Arms and Light Weapons Destroyed in Serbia - a total of 110,000 since 2003

Among these 17,000 pieces is a 100,000th piece of SALW that the MoI has destroyed with the support of UNDP/SEESAC

On 20 December, Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia together with the UNDP/SEESAC organized a public destruction of yet another 17,000 pieces of confiscated and surplus small arms and light weapons (SALW)

The number of SALW destroyed in Serbia with the help of UNDP/SEESAC since 2003 stands at almost 110,000 SALW

The destruction took place at the \'Centar za reciklazu\' in Zeleznik, near Belgrade.

Serbia’s Prime Minister Ivica Dacic, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Adriano Martins and Team Leader of SEESAC Ivan Zverzhanovski oversaw and spoke at the destruction.

On 20 December, Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia (MoI) together with the UNDP/SEESAC organized a public destruction of yet another 17,000 pieces of confiscated and surplus small arms and light weapons (SALW) that were in the possession of the MoI. This was the last such destruction under the EU supported Arms Control Activities in the Western Balkans project implemented by UNDP/SEESAC since 2010, which envisaged a disposal of 40,000 pieces of SALW. With today’s destruction this target has been surpassed by over 5,000 pieces.

Serbia’s Prime Minister Ivica Dacic, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Adriano Martins and Team Leader of SEESAC Ivan Zverzhanovski oversaw and spoke at the destruction.

Prime Minister Dacic noted that among these 17,000 pieces is a 100,000th piece of SALW that the MoI has destroyed with the support of UNDP/SEESAC. Mr. Dacic also commented on the plans for another amnesty and subsequent collection campaign of SALW to be conducted in Serbia.

On behalf of the European Union, Mr. Martins noted that since 2010, SALW destruction implemented in coordination with UNDP/SEESAC in the Western Balkans have been founded by the EU, under the EU Council Decision 2010/179/CFSP from 11 March 2010, in support of SEESAC arms control activities in the Western Balkans, and within the framework of the EU Strategy to combat the illicit accumulation and trafficking of SALW and their ammunition.

With today’s disposal, the number of SALW destroyed in Serbia with the help of UNDP/SEESAC since 2003 stands at almost 110,000 SALW.  Since 2002, UNDP/SEESAC has supported the destruction of over 280,000 SALW across the Western Balkans.

By eliminating the surplus of SALW held by countries in the region, UNDP/SEESAC bolsters safety and security in the Western Balkans.

Today’s event not only concludes the planed destruction activities in Serbia, but it also is the last of the SEESAC activities funded under the EU Council Decision 2010/179/CFSP. The project strengthened safety and security throughout the region through a series of activities including:
 

•     SALW destructions in Croatia and Serbia;
•     SALW awareness and collection campaigns in Croatia and Serbia;
•     SALW storage upgrades in Montenegro, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina;
•     Improved capacities to manage SALW storages among the responsible authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia;
•     Improved SALW marking, tracing and registration capacities in Montenegro and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.