The fifth meeting of the Regional Information Exchange Process on Arms Export Controls, organized by SEESAC, took place on 23 June 2011 in Becici, Montenegro and was attended by the delegations of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), Croatia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.  ... read more

On 22 July 2011, another 1,224 pieces of small arms and light weapons were destroyed at the CMC Sisak Steel Mill, Croatia. The destruction took place under SEESAC's EU funded arms control programme, which supports, among other activities, the improvement of safety through collection and elimination of illegal and surplus SALW in Croatia. In Croatia, activities are implemented jointly by UNDP Croatia and the Croatian Ministry of Interior in close cooperation with SEESAC and with the financial support of the European Union.  ... read more

On 11 July 2011, 13 people were killed and about 60 injured in a massive blast at a munitions dump in Cyprus. A fire reportedly ignited 98 containers holding confiscated explosives at the naval base at Zygi. The main electricity plant was damaged, causing widespread power cuts that could last for months. This is said to be the worst disaster to hit Cyprus since the 2005 aircraft crash in Greece that killed 121.  ... read more

With as many as 640 million guns circulating in the world today, approximately one per every ten persons, the fear of and threat to civilians posed by small arms and light weapons (SALW) cannot be overstated. With this in mind, governments, international organization and NGOs around the world mark 9 July as the International Gun Destruction Day.  ... read more

On 8 July 2011, the SEESAC Team was invited to present its regional activities to the NATO South East Europe Security Cooperation Steering Group (SEEGROUP) in Brussels. The regular SEEGROUP meeting was chaired by Bosnia and Herzegovina and was attended by some twenty delegates from Allied and Partner countries as well as by NATO Staff.  ... read more

On 20 June 2011, SEESAC co-organized the third in a series of meetings aimed at supporting the strengthening of parliamentary oversight of arms transfers in Serbia. Hosted by the Ministry of Economy and Regional Development (MERD), the meeting gathered relevant members of parliament and parliamentary staff, as well as representatives of government institutions responsible for the control of arms exports and imports, including the Ministries of Defense and Interior and the Security and Information Agency (BIA).  ... read more

On 11 March 2010, the European Union (EU), under the EU COUNCIL DECISION 2010/179/CFSP, decided to support SEESAC arms control activities in the Western Balkans, as a way to implement the EU Strategy to combat the illicit accumulation and trafficking of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW) and their ammunition. SEESAC’s current campaign to collect weapons, explosive devices, and associated ammunition in towns across Croatia is one such activity supported by the EU.  ... read more

On 10 June 2011, another 1,130 pieces of small arms and light weapons were destroyed at the CMC Sisak Steel Mill, Croatia. The destruction is a part of a larger project, the aim of which is improvement of safety through collection and elimination of illegal and surplus SALW in Croatia. The project is implemented jointly by UNDP Croatia and the Croatian Ministry of Interior in close cooperation with SEESAC and with the financial support of the European Union.  ... read more

During a handover ceremony, Ivan Brajović, Minister of the Interior of the Government of Montenegro and Alexander Avanessov, UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative to Montenegro officially presented the newly established electronic national system for registration and record-keeping of weapons owned by individuals. The new system is based on a software solution developed by the Ministry of Interior. The necessary hardware was procured through a project financed by the European Union and implemented by SEESAC.  ... read more

Within the framework of the Programme for Demilitarization in Montenegro (MONDEM), Boro Vučinić, Minister of Defence of Montenegro, Alexander Avanessov, UN Resident Coordinator/UNDP Resident Representative to Montenegro and Sarunas Adomavicius, Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro officially opened the reconstructed “Taraš” ammunition storage site in Danilovgrad, Montenegro.  ... read more