Serbia enjoys international support

OBRENOVAC - Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic said Friday that the aid sent to Serbia after the devastating floods in May has shown that the country enjoys strong international support.

Nikolic and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic handed the keys to 39 newly constructed houses in the Belgrade municipality of Obrenovac to families whose homes were destroyed in the floods. The houses were built with the funds donated by the United Arab Emirates (14) and Kuwait (25), while Gorenje donated home appliances.

The construction of 14 houses in Obrenovac is part of a larger scale project carried out by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and funded by the Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Foundation through the UAE Embassy to Serbia.

As part of the project, a total of 35 houses - of 60, 80 and 100 square meters - were completed this month. Besides the ones built in Obrenovac, another 17 houses were constructed in Krupanj, eastern Serbia, and four in Valjevo, in the west of the country.

The UAE charity foundation invested EUR 1 million in the project and provided new homes for 150 people. The Emirates also transferred USD 10 million to Serbia to help repair the damage caused by the floods.

Kuwait invested USD 400,000 through the Red Crescent Society in the construction of 25 houses of 65 square meters for a total of 37 people in Obrenovac.

"The goodwill shown to us by two great and friendly countries, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, is a proof that we have strong support in the world and among the citizens", said Nikolic.

He commended the government for not letting a single dinar intended to help the flood victims "end up in the wrong hands".

The Serbian prime minister said that...

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