November 16^th

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic, with his associates, met with the delegation from the French region of Gironde, headed by the delegate from the Council of the Department for European Affairs and Decentralized Cooperation Jacques Respaud. During today’s meeting, the new modes of cooperation between the City of Nis and the General Council of Gironde were discussed. In particular, the projects dedicated to young people as the most valuable resource of the city were discussed as well projects in the area of culture and local development. A three-week visit by Toni Radev, a comics author from Nis to Gironde was announced, during which the children of the Alfred Mogen college from Gradignan and the elementary school Ivo Andric from Nis, with the support of Radev, will work on the realization of the French-Serbian comic edition on the topic of human rights. Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic pointed to the importance of the interactive relationship of the two cultures in order to present the historical, national and spiritual identity of both countries. In particular, he pointed out the policy of boosting the tourism potential of Nis, which would stimulate the development and growth of the economic, industrial and infrastructural capacity of the city. Having that in mind more intensive research and promotion of the spiritual and material culture of Nis will contribute to a better positioning of the city on the map of world tourist destinations.

This year the annual UN Climate Change Conference was held in the former West German political capital – Bonn. This is one of the largest conventions under the auspices of the UN, which gathers the representatives of all UN member states at the highest level, the representatives of the NGO sector and the activists. The main topics of this year UN Conference in Bonn (COP23) were the levels of the implementation of the previous major agreements on climate change in Rio, in Kyoto and in Paris, as well as the latest challenges that include extreme weather conditions such as wildfires, floods, storms and tropical heat waves.

What is significant for the city of Niš is that for the first time, since the UN Conference on Climate Change has been held, equal participation has been taken by the representatives of the regions and the leaders of the local self-governments worldwide, within the special Climate Summit of the local and regional leaders, as the official part of COP23. The Chairman of the Niš City Assembly, M.S. Rade Rajkovic, at the invitation of the Mayor of Bonn, and since being a representative of the Council of European Municipalities and Regions, took part in the Conference and the Summit held from November 11^th to 13^th, 2017, whereas he was the sole representative from Serbia and the region.

Activities at the Summit were made up of the official and informal parts, whereas the key topic of the discussion was the way to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, which is largely released by the combustion of coal and oil. Research suggests that the increase in the average air temperature of over 2 degrees Celsius over the coming years would lead to catastrophic consequences and negative climate change.

At the Summit, attended by over 1000 delegates and over 330 political leaders from over 80 countries worldwide, the Chairman of the Niš City Assembly, during his address, as well as in the conversations with the mayors from several dozen cities worldwide, stated that the City of Niš was ready to deal with climate change and that all necessary steps would be undertaken in order to increase energy efficiency and ensure the sustainability of the energy system in the city. This is only possible through energy efficiency projects, which would contribute to the significant reduction in exhaust emissions, with the aim to make the city of Niš a pioneer in the field of climate and the environmental protection in the region.

At the Summit, the Chairman Rajkovic stated that the city of Niš had the opportunity to improve energy efficiency and increase the use of renewable energy sources, which included energy savings, the introduction of cleaner and renewable energy sources, recycling and treatment of water pollution, electrification of public transport, economical public lighting and other preventive and practical models for eco-friendly environment. In addition, everything mentioned, could be achieved through the international forums, exchange of experience and project financing, stated the chairman in his address.

Moreover, the Chairman Rajkovic discussed those and similar problems related to one of the biggest threats to humanity – climate change during the bilateral meetings with his colleagues on the sidelines of the Summit.  The Chairman of the Niš City Assembly also talked about the willingness of the City of Niš to deal with climate change and concrete co-operation with other cities and countries with the California Governor, Mr. Jerry Brown, with the Mayor of Hiroshima, Mr. Macui Kazumi, with the Mayor of Bonn, Mr. Ashok Sirdharan, with the Special Envoy of the Kingdom of Morocco in UN, Mr. Hakim El-Haite, as well as with many other political leaders and experts in this field from Africa, the USA, Asia and Europe.

Special guest speakers at the Summit were Bertrand Picard, the world leader in the Solar Impulse Project, as well as the former California Governor, and present chairman of the R20- Regions of Climate Change Action, Mr. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

November 8^th

Nis City Assistant Mayor Nebojsa Randjelovic met today with the Ambassador of Order of Malta in Serbia Alberto di Luca and the Ambassador of Taiwan in Budapest Andrew Chang who came to Nis on humanitarian mission to help a girl from Nis who at the second week of her life got a viral infection which turned into a cruel and rare disease.
Since then, the little girl has undergone several operations but the most difficult one has yet to be performed at the clinically appropriate time and not when a public hospital might be available. Therefore, there was a need to contact a private hospital where it would be possible to intervene timely for this complex and expensive operation. Ambassador Alberto di Luca, having confidence in sensibility and solidarity of the Government of Taiwan – with whom he already collaborated in the year 2015 and 2016 when they supported the humanitarian “Make a WISH” Projects – has asked Taiwanese friends for help, once again. So, today in Nis, in the presence of the Ambassador Andrew Chang who came expressly from Budapest, they confirmed their decisive support for the delicate operation to be performed.

November 1^st

The hundredth anniversary of diplomatic relations between Serbia and Sweden was celebrated with a concert of Serbian and Swedish music at the City Hall in Nis. The Embassy of Sweden has devoted a series of events related to this anniversary to Nis. Besides that, on the last day of October, the first plane to Stockholm from the airport “Konstantin Veliki” took off.   The hundredth anniversary of diplomatic relations between Serbia and Sweden was celebrated with a concert of Serbian and Swedish music at the City Hall in Nis. The Embassy of Sweden has devoted a series of events related to this anniversary to Nis. Besides that, on the last day of October, the first plane to Stockholm from the airport “Konstantin Veliki” took off.

“A century ago, the Government of the Kingdom of Serbia, which was then positioned on the island of Corfu, signed a document posting Bogoljub Jevtić a Second  Secretary / clerk  to a Mission to Stockholm. After a month, he was replaced by the Serbian poet and diplomat, Milan Rakic, who officially opened the first Serbian diplomatic mission. This is the beginning of diplomatic cooperation between our two countries, which has not been interrupted since then, “said H.E. Mr Jan Lundin, ambassador of Sweden. On the occasion of this anniversary photographs from the State Archives of Sweden were shown at the City Hall of Nis. They have been displayed to a broad audience thanks to the historian Dušan Topalović, who lives in Sweden. The Mayor of Nis, Darko Bulatović, emphasized that the City of Nis has a very good cooperation with the Swedish embassy, ​​especially in the field of water purification and waste water management. “Thanks to the Swedien, the city  of  Nis will get important water purification capacities, which is a great benefit for both the city and the citizens of Niš,” Bulatovic said.

This manifestation also encompassed a photo exhibition called “Swedish Dads” arranged in cooperation with the organisation “Gnezdo-Beograd and Young Ambassadors. The photos show some precious moments of fathers with their children aiming at pointing out the importance that dads also use the parental right to be absent from work in order to be with their children. The exhibition will be open until November 7th. The celebration of the first century of diplomatic relations between Serbia and Sweden ended with a concert and the performance of Serbian and Swedish music in the City Hall. The Swedish music was performed by the pianist Milica Lundin, wife of the ambassador and violinist Žana Lekić. The Serbian music was performed by two artists from Niš, Anđela Bratić on flute and Stevan Spalević on piano.

November 1^st

New Ryanair flight Stockholm-Nis-Stockholm was introduced today. The welcoming ceremony for the first flight from Stockhol was attended by His Excellency Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden to the Republic of Serbia Mr. Jan Lundin, Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic and the General Manager of the Nis Airport Constantine the Great Vladica Djurdjanovic. Passengers will be able to fly to Stockholm and back on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Ambassador of Sweden Jan Lundin underlined the importance of establishing this route to connect two nations and two countries. “Now the Swedes have the opportunity to travel to Nis and see the potentials here, not only tourist attractions, but also business potentials.” Mayor Bulatovic said that each new destination represented a new window to the world and once again confirmed that the money, which the city and the state had allocated for the development of Nis Airport, was fully justified investment. He stressed that, in the future, the City of Nis would, in accordance with its capabilities, do everything to further improve the capacities of the Constabtine the Great Airport. The General Manager of the Nis Airport Constantine the Great Vladica Djurdjanovic said that he was proud of such a large number of passengers in the first year and underlined that this was just another proof of the great significance and potential of the Nis airport.

October 23^rd

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic and and UNICEF Representative in Serbia, Michel Saint-Lot, officially opened a photo exhibition – UNICEF: 70 Years in Serbia at the central city square in Nis. The photo exhibition depicts seven decades of UNICEF’s dedicated work in Serbia. It spans from 1947, when the first humanitarian aid shipments were sent to children and families in the former Yugoslavia, up to the present day. “UNICEF has always been a part of the history of this country. Since 1947, we have been helping in various ways – from humanitarian aid to systemic support to the Government in its reform processes. We have always worked together, in partnership, towards the same goal – to reach every child who needs support. Celebrating the 70th anniversary of UNICEF’s work in Serbia is an opportunity to remind ourselves of the obligations we have towards children and to recommit to fulfilling our promises – to work to ensure that every child reaches his or her full potential,” said Michel Saint-Lot, UNICEF Representative in Serbia.

October 19^th

Nis City Mayor Darko Darko Bulatovic and his associates met with RS Minister of Environmental Protection Mr. Goran Trivan and Maryland State Economic and Political Delegation. On this occasion City of Nis team presented several projects in the field of environmental protection – Regional Waste Treatment Plant Keles and Waste Water Treatment Plant. On this occasion Mayor Bulatovic expressed his hopes that after this introductory visit the concrete cooperation between the two countries will be established. Maryland Deputy Secretary of State Luis Borunda said that he was very satisfied with the visit to Serbia. He said that what was happening in the field of economic development here in the city was parallel with the priorities that the State of Maryland set for themselves and these were environmental protection, infrastructure, education and infrastructure that contributes to better economic development. Minister Trivan stressed that Serbia was moving with great steps towards achieving the highest standards of the environment protection. Serbia has the knowledge but we have to make huge investments in new technologies.  He stressed that it was therefore necessary to seek financial assistance in order to invest in environmental protection. He thanked the Maryland Delegation for bringing representatives of 15 companies from the field of environmental protection. He also thanked the State of Maryland for donating a system for efficient, modern and quick analysis of the quality of land.

October 19^th

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic welcomed the participants of 13^th International Conference at Nis City Hall. TELSIKS is the leading scientific meeting in South-Eastern and Central Europe in the field of telecommunications. On this occasion Mayor Bulatovic emphasized that he was very pleased that this conference has been in existence for 24 years and has been gathering a large number of eminent experts from the country and abroad, which unambiguously spoke about its significance and quality. The chairman of the conference, Prof. Dr. Bratislav Milovanovic, pointed out that the conference could not be as successful as it has been for many years if it has not been supported by the City of Nis. He stressed that TELSIKS is the leading conference and that scientists and experts from the field of telecommunications from more than 30 countries have been involved in its work. Traditionally there are works from countries that have a great scientific reputation in this field, such as the United States, Germany, England, France, Italy and other countries.

October 7^th

The reception was organized at Nis City Hall for the students from Banja Luka who were visiting the Faculty of Philosophy in Nis. They were welcomed by Nis City Deputy Mayor Milos Bandjur who said that Nis and Banja Luka were two important regional centers, two basic points, some kind of western and southern and eastern defense lines. Talking about the current moment, he pointed out the current investments in the city such as building of factories, but also the building of the science and technology park. “It is good when two universities, two faculties of philosophy are developing cooperation. It is good that people who are living at two ends of the Serbian national space visit each other, socialize, exchange experiences. Both Nis and Banja Luka are important cities in every aspect, geostrategic, political. The Governments of the Republic of Serbia and the Republic Srpska pay great attention to the development of these two important centers”, as Deputy Mayor Bandjur said on this occasion. Srdja Preradovic from the Faculty of Philosophy from Banja Luka thanked for the warm welcome on behalf of his fifty colleagues visiting Nis. “Some of us are for the third time in Nis and I am sure that my colleagues who are visiting Nis for the first time will feel as welcomed as I always felt each time I visited Nis. I hope that the cooperation between our two faculties will continue in the future”.

October 6^th

Nis City Deputy Mayor Milos Bandjur met today with the Ambassador of Argentina in Serbia Mr. Ricardo Fernandes, who arrived in Nis on the occasion of the Argentinian   Film Festival. The two officials discussed the cooperation of the two countries in different areas. The Ambassador expressed his satisfaction with his visit to Nis, a city of rich history and culture, which is rapidly modernizing industrially. Argentinian cinematography takes a significant place in world cinema, and several achievements have won Oscars for the best film outside the English speaking area.