Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic met today with the Ambassador of Japan in Serbia, H.E. Mr. Junichi Maruyama at Nis City Hall.  The two officials discussed the possibilities of cooperation between Japan and this part of Serbia. Ambassador of Japan was supposed to give the lecture today about traditional calligraphy within Days of Japan which is organized traditionally every autumn in Nis. The Japanese government cooperates with local communities in Serbia through a grant scheme, such as the donation of an ambulance vehicle and a fire truck. What is especially important to Japan as a country that often faces natural disasters is to develop cooperation between the two countries and disseminate information on the prevention and recovery from natural disasters.  The total amount of Japanese aid through projects for the basic needs of the population in Serbia since 1999 reached 13.3 million euros. The total amount of Japanese aid to Serbia during the same period exceeds 507 million euros, which unambiguously shows the friendly attitude of the people of Japan towards Serbia, but also the unreserved support to our country in different segments.

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic met today with the Ambassador of Japan in Serbia, H.E. Mr. Junichi Maruyama at Nis City Hall.  The two officials discussed the possibilities of cooperation between Japan and this part of Serbia. Ambassador of Japan was supposed to give the lecture today about traditional calligraphy within Days of Japan which is organized traditionally every autumn in Nis. The Japanese government cooperates with local communities in Serbia through a grant scheme, such as the donation of an ambulance vehicle and a fire truck. What is especially important to Japan as a country that often faces natural disasters is to develop cooperation between the two countries and disseminate information on the prevention and recovery from natural disasters.  The total amount of Japanese aid through projects for the basic needs of the population in Serbia since 1999 reached 13.3 million euros. The total amount of Japanese aid to Serbia during the same period exceeds 507 million euros, which unambiguously shows the friendly attitude of the people of Japan towards Serbia, but also the unreserved support to our country in different segments.

On the occasion of the celebration of Nis City Liberation Day in the First World War the flower wreaths were laid on the monument dedicated to the Duke Petar Bojović in the park across the City Hall and then at the memorial dedicated to those who were shot and hanged because of the participation in uprising in Toplica in 1917. The respects on this day were paid by Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic, the President of the Assembly of the City of Nis, Rade Rajkovic with associates. The wreaths were also laid by the delegations of the Nisava District, the Police, the Army and associations that fostered the tradition of the liberation wars and memories of famous ancestors, liberators, and associations that gathered their descendants

Special reception was organized at Nis City Hall on the occasion of the centenary of the liberation of Nis in the First World War. The host of the reception was Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic and the guests were the most important representatives of the Serbian Army, police, security services and, of course, representatives of associations that fostered the tradition of the liberation wars and memories of famous ancestors, liberators, and associations that gathered their descendants. The Mayor in his speech on this solemn occasion said that the sacrifice that the liberators of our city made must be taken as the responsibility given to us as the legacy from our ancestors. We have preserved the pride and dignity of the Serbian name, one city and one small country in the Balkans have remained the unconquered territory of the unconquered people. History must not be forgotten, because, when history is forgotten, it is condemned to be repeated. Therefore, on this solemn gathering on the occasion of Nis Liberation Day in the First World War, I would like to send a great message: if a man does not destroy the war, the war will destroy the man! Serbian suffering will never be forgotten, but we will never repeat them again, “as Mayor Bulatovic said.

The 9^th International Car Show for cars, motorcycles and accessories in Nis has been opened today in Sports Hall Cair and it gathered a large number of exhibitors this year, who presented numerous models of vehicles from the latest world production in the automobile industry. The fair was opened officially by RS Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications Rasim Ljajic who said that the car show was important because the auto industry was extremely important for our country. Ljajic said that 10% of all foreign investments were in the automotive sector and that since 2001 about 70 companies operating in automotive industry came to Serbia. “After all, 40,000 people work in these companies and this is actually one of the sectors that are driving engines of our entire economy,” Ljajic noted. The opening of the Fair was attended by Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic, who congratulated the organizers of the Fair on the persistence with the wish that the next one, the 10^th one, would be the best. ”I hope that next year the City will secure the venue which will enable the organization of the Car Shows and of other fair as well  because they are important because they will change the image of the business environment for the purpose of developing our city and the whole south of Serbia, ” as Mayor Bulatovic pointed out.

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic attended today the opening of the annual meeting of Serbian Neurosurgical Society as a Joint meeting with Southeast Europe Neurosurgical Society attended by a large number of world renowned neurosurgeons. The global theme of the meeting was Spine Surgery in 21^st Century – Current Concept, Controversies, and Perspectives. The scientific program will cover all treatment aspects of surgical pathology of the spine, from basic to innovative. “It is a multidisciplinary congress referring to the latest knowledge, contemporary trends and future directions of development, as well as contradictions in the application of all these findings in everyday practice in the treatment of our patients, and in the context of modern diseases of the spinal column,” said the president of the Serbian Association of Neurosurgeons Luka Rasulic. The Congress is being organized in Nis in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and the Clinical Center Nis, and it is organized as joint meeting of the Association of Neurosurgeons of Russia, Russian Association of Spinal Surgeons and Serbian Neurosurgical Society in conjunction with Croatian Society for Spine Surgery. The Congress of Spinal Neurosurgery is organized under the auspices of the president of Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic.

Within the City of Nis Local Economic Development Program for 2018, implemented by the City of Nis Office for Local Economic Development and Projects the public invitation was sent to banks interested in short-term lending to commercial entities from the territory of the City of Nis, with the participation of the City through subsidizing interest on loans for procurement of working capital, costs of purchasing machinery and equipment, modernization of the production process, stabilization of production, investment in new modern means of labor and production for the purpose of developing entrepreneurship, and construction, reconstruction and renovation of office space, new employment. The Commission for the allocation of funds in the framework of the realization of this program, according to the criteria from the public call, chose the most favorable bid submitted by Banca Intesa. The City Council accepted the recommendation of the Commission and Business Cooperation Agreement was signed between the City of Nis and Banca Intesa. The agreement was signed by the Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic on behalf of the City, and on behalf of the bank, the Director for the small business sale sector in the Regional Center Nis Milan Bogdanovic and the regional director for business with individuals and small businesses in the Regional Center Nis Violeta Marjanović.

“For the City of Nis it is very important that such programs are implemented in order to stimulate the development of entrepreneurship and thus contribute to the further reduction of the unemployment rate in our city. Local self-governments need reliable partners for the realization of these plans, and I am therefore pleased that we will implement this program in cooperation with Banca Intesa. The City of Nis allocates 9 362 409,00 dinars for the interest subsidy on loans that will be allocated to business entities and I sincerely hope that they will be more interested in this kind of assistance than last year, “Mayor Darko Bulatovic said at the signing of the Cooperation Agreement .

“It is our great pleasure that the City of Nis recognized Banca Intesa as a reliable partner for the implementation of the local economic development program through subsidized lending to entrepreneurs, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises this year. The signing of this agreement thus represents a continuation of cooperation by which we supported the entrepreneurs in Nis in the previous year with 134 million dinars of loans with a subsidized interest rate. This segment of the economy is the main driver of economic growth throughout our country, which is why encouraging its development is a strategically important part of Banca Intesa’s total business, “said Violeta Marjanovic, Regional Director for Retail and Small Business in Banca Intesa, Regional Center Nis.

The minimum loan amount for which the interest will be subsidized is 100,000.00 dinars, and the maximum amount of 2,000,000.00 dinars. The City of Nis will subsidize interest until all the allocation is spent. The purpose of subsidizing a part of the loan is to contribute to economic growth through easier access of the private sector to credit funds which are approved on more favorable terms.

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic met with the representatives of the Association of cooks of the Mt. Athos Hilandar Monastery on the occasion of announcing the promotion of food, well-kept Hilandar recipes and wine, scheduled for December this year in Nis. The organizer of this unique event, which is held for the first time in our country, is the Nis Media Research Center in cooperation with the Tourist Organization of Nis. Welcoming the distinguished guests, Mayor Bulatovic thanked for the honor that the City of Nis would have in being the first city in Serbia to present the well-guarded secrets of the Mt. Athos monastery and to take advantage of this event for the promotion of Nis tourist capacities and tourist offer. Bulatovic pointed out that the City was ready to support and help organize this unique event, which, as announced, will be organized in Nis and after that in Belgrade and Novi Sad. The Delegation from Greece, consisting of the commercial manager of the Hilandar Monastery, Zacharias Panagiotis, the chief cook of the Hilandar Monastery Christos Gremos and the chef Casioras Marios conveyed the warm greetings from the Hilandar Monastery Prior Archimandrite Methodius and thanked for the hospitality and readiness to support and assist the presentation and promotion of wine from the monastery cellars and vineyards, as well as the ancient cuisine of Atos and Hilandar. According to Zacharias Panagiotis, in this way, the people of Serbia, who perceive the Hilandar Monastery as one of their greatest sanctities and centuries-old center of spirituality, will have the opportunity to learn some of the long kept secrets, which are not directly related to spirituality and faith, but are the part of its heritage. At the same time, as it has been said, this will be an opportunity for closer connection and cooperation between the Nis and monasteries of Mt. Athos from the aspect of tourism as well as for the promotion of trade in both directions precisely through the promotion and development of gastro-tourism, which started in the spring of this year, when Nis delegation visited Athos and Greek region of Volvi. Beside the Mayor, the meeting was attended by the Nis City Council Member Jelena Mitrovski and the director of the Tourist Organization of Niš Uroš Parlić, as well as the initiator of the whole idea and the director of the Media Research Center Zdravko Stojnic.

The meeting of the Board for the implementation of the Project Wastewater Collection and Treatment in Nis, i.e. the construction of WWTP was held at Nis City Hall. The meeting was chaired by Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic, in the capacity of the Board president, and it was attended by the representatives of the Nis City and Office for Local Economic Development and Projects, Ministry of Environment, the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia, the Swedish organization Sida, as well as representatives of the Spanish consulting agency EPTISA, in charge of implementing the project selected by the Government of Sweden, which finances this project. The representatives of the OLEDP in charge of the implementation of this extensive and important work, informed the participants at the meeting about the results so far and the current dynamics by which the planned activities were realized. Most importantly, it was emphasized that the expropriation of the land was carried out without difficulty and according to the planned dynamics, as well as obtaining necessary opinions and consent of the competent authorities and institutions. Also, great progress was made in the construction of the canal network and collectors in all parts of the city, as well as obtaining the missing urban documentation. Representatives of the Delegation of the European Union expressed their satisfaction with the implementation progress of one of the most important and largest infrastructure and ecological projects in Serbia, and praised the excellent cooperation with all the City of Nis offices and administration departments as well as with the competent state institutions that recognized the importance of this project, and fully contributed to its realization in the foreseen deadline. Nis City Mayor Bulatovic pointed out that he was satisfied with what had been already done and with the fact that no problems were identified that would possibly endanger or slow down the realization of this project which was of utmost significance for Nis. He said that the City of Nis was absolutely committed to respect all deadlines and timeframe expressing optimism that this project would be successfully realized within the planned deadline.

Niš Wastewater Collection and Treatment Project has been identified as the priority wastewater collection and treatment project for financing. Its implementation, including preparatory and design phases, tendering, construction and supervision activities, shall contribute to building up the capacity and capability of local authorities and central institutions. This will help comply with required EU regulations. PEID shall prepare the technical documentation for the priority project in accordance with Serbian legislation. Documentation shall be appropriate for both EU IPA grant funding and IFI credits. Specific activities and outputs for the project in Niš include the construction of the main conveyance system to the WWTP site (primary, main collectors, pumping stations as necessary), as well as construction of the WWTP for the Niš urban agglomeration and treatment of the wastewater from water treatment plant Mediana. The priority project is viewed as the minimum level of investment required in order to first convey the relevant flows to the WWTP site, and also provide adequate wastewater treatment for the urban area. The PEID shall make efforts in providing technical assistance to relevant parties in order to make the implementation process effective and user-friendly. In this way PEID shall contribute to meet objectives of compliance in the environment sector.

The Philippines-based company IMI has opened an electronic automotive parts factory in Niska Banja, in the presence of the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. Over 33 million EUR has been invested in the plant which will produce electronic parts for automotive and IT industry in Europe and other countries where IMI has production plants and business partners. The official opening was also attended by IMI CEO Gilles Bernard, IMI Director in Nis Radoslav Georgiev, Regional Director for EU Operations, Eric Serge de Candido, Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic and other guests.

Vucic said that by having the kind of factories that IMI has opened Serbia in this way opened the door to the future and joined global trends. He also said that he was proud of the fact that after two years of the construction the work was finally done and that 74 people were already employed there, mainly from Nis and the surrounding area. The plan is to employ a total of 1,200 workers but that number could be higher. “We will try to transform Nis into a regional industrial center”, said the President of Serbia and expressed his gratitude to the people of Nis, who have been excellent hosts to foreign investors. Vucic also told IMI’s management that they would always have the support of the state and local self-government, because, generating higher profit and having higher salaries and higher employment was in everybody’s best interest. He also added that IMI was an innovative company that needs highly educated people, which signals to the state that the education system had to be reformed to be in accordance with the latest trends.

IMI’s CEO, Gilles Bernard, believes that the company will be a driving force behind new foreign investments in the field of advanced technologies in Serbia. Representatives of the company donated the first products from the IMI factory in Niska Banja, the remote garage door opener, to the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic and the mayor of Nis. Bernard also says that the company produces new technologies and is also involved in manufacturing unmanned autonomous driving systems. He adds that IMI designs and manufactures electronic modules for the auto industry, but also aeronautics, and is present in 10 countries. “IMI operates in Asia, Europe, North America, Australia, and South America and we really have conquered the whole world, and this is important for Serbia. In the past 10 years, our company recorded a huge growth, and last year we celebrated exceeding the revenue of one billion dollars. We will have an even higher growth this year, “said Bernard.

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatović pointed out that with the opening of two factories in Nis in 24 hours, that is, a total of six factories in the last few years, the city raised itself on the map of investments, it reduced unemployment and thus contributed to further development of the city and changed the whole image of the south and the whole of Serbia. “We raise all the capacities of the city, we make the business environment more competitive, in order to attract new investments, for even greater growth and development,” Bulatovic said, adding that it would not have been possible without the huge support of the state, the Government and President Aleksandar Vucic to whom he was particularly grateful for everything he had done for Nis and the south of the country.