Krstic: Over EUR 1.5 mln paid into foreign currency account

BELGRADE - Finance Minister Lazar Krstic has said that the aid for repairing the damage caused by floods is pouring in every day, with RSD 451 million paid so far into the dinar account, and over EUR 1.5 million into the foreign currency account of the Serbian government.

In a live broadcast on the Belgrade-based TV B92 on Monday evening, Krstic said that Serbian officials are in contact with all international financial organizations, including the World Bank.

He also noted that Ivica Dacic, Serbia's first deputy prime minister and foreign minister, will visit Brussels on Tuesday, adding that the president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is coming to Belgrade in the coming days to talk with government officials about ways to repair the battered communities.

Any donation is needed, and we may channel some funds that we agreed previously into the repair of the damage, the finance minister said.

Krstic said that Serbia is counting on assistance from the EU solidarity fund, which it can get as an EU candidate country.

The government also opened a PayPal account via which people from abroad could donate money, and a total of EUR 86,000 was collected in the first 24 hours, with over 1,500 payments, the finance minister noted.

Krstic said that it is still early to speak about the scope of the damage, underscoring that a special compensation commission will be tasked with allocating the collected funds.

Photo Tanjug/F. Kraincanic