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COOPERATION BETWEEN CITY OF NIS AND CITY OF SLIVEN

September 13

 

The representatives of the City of Nis attended the international meeting in Sliven, Bulgaria, within the project “United Europe – Security, Solidarity and Stability”, supported through program “Europe for Citizens”. The project was implemented through the partnership of Sliven, Nis and Bydgoszcz from Poland. After presenting the cities of Sliven (Bulgaria), Bydgoszcz (Poland) and Nis (Serbia), the Mayor of Sliven Stefan Radev, Assistant Mayor of Nis Marina Kostic and Assistant Mayor of Bydgoszcz Joanna Zataj Ross signed the letter of intent outlining the goals of future cooperation between these cities. The event was attended by the first advisor at the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Sofia Ms. Gordana Bozic, a member of the Nis City Council Slavoljub Savic, the director of PUC Medijana Dragoslav Pavlovic, who presented Nis potentials prepared by the Nis City Office for Local Economic Development and Projects, the president of Sliven City Municipality Dimitar Mitev, deputy provincial governor of Sliven district Kamen Kostov and the representatives of administration, educational and cultural institutions, universities, chamber of commerce, local and regional development agencies, cultural centers, non-profit organizations and the media of these three cities.

During the visit three forums were implemented in the fields of culture, youth and economy. On the second day, at a cultural forum, the participants presented the cultural, historical and tourist heritage of their cities. The Secretary of the Secretariat for Culture and Information of the City of Nis Aleksandra Radosavljevic presented international events that are of great importance for the City of Nis with short films about those city events. Tamara Ciric, from the Secretariat for Culture and Information, presented the cultural and historical heritage of our city with the support of all present representatives of Nis cultural institutions. The conclusion of the cultural forum is that there are good grounds for successful partnership and cultural cooperation between the three participating cities. The presentation of the members of the Nis Youth Council discussed strategic documents on the basis of which youth policies are implemented in Nis, with the aim of improving the position of young people in the city and preventing young people leaving Niš, such as scholarships for the best students and athletes, etc. This topic was interesting for all three cities because they all face the same problem of young people leaving to live and work abroad. Nis Economic Delegation was led by the Speaker of the Parliament of the Regional Chamber of Commerce Nis Mr. Andrija Radojicic and the Director of the Regional Chamber of Commerce Nis, Aleksandar Milicevic. Current economic trends tourism and traffic potentials of the Nisava, Pirot and Toplica administrative districts are presented. Within the business meetings, which were also organized within the business forum, the economic and investment potentials of Nis and the region were presented, as well as the planned investments that are underway. A delegation of businessmen held meetings with businessmen from Sliven, Sofia, Yambol and Bydgoszcz, and visited the most prominent companies operating successfully in Sliven.




CITY OF NIS AT INTERNATIONAL FORUM OF OLD CITIES

 

September 10

The delegation of the City of Nis participated in the Second International Forum of Old Towns in the Russian city of Ryazan, which was held under the auspices of the Committee of the Russian Federation for UNESCO, organized by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Ryazan region. The requirement for participation in this Forum was that the city was over 500 years old. The main topics of the Forum were architecture, history, cultural heritage, theater, photography and gastronomic tourism, and the first session of the Association of Old Towns was held during this event. Representatives of the City of Nis participated in the work of the Forum on three topics – possibilities and directions of cooperation of ancient cities, Nis cultural heritage during its two thousand years of existence and implementation of measures for the improvement of squares, river banks, streets, pedestrian zones, parks and other public areas. The organizers pointed out that the holding of this Forum should serve to strengthen and develop cultural links between cities, regions and countries.




RECEPTION FOR THE PARTICIPANTS OF ART COLONY SICEVO 2019

 

September 9

Nis City Council Member in charge of culture Jelena Mitrovski received participants of the Art Colony “Sićevo 2019” at City Hall today. Sićevo Art Colony is the oldest art colony in the Balkans. It was founded in 1905 by the idea and dedication of Serbian painter Nadezda Petrovic. Because of their extraordinary beauty, the landscapes of Siceva are an inspiration not only to painters but also to writers and all nature lovers. This year, the colony brought together 11 participants from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Bulgaria and Montenegro. The works will be presented by: Vukasin Stankovic and Vladica Ristic (Nis), Nikola Vukosavljevic, Aleksandar Cvetkovic and Milica Rakic ​​(Belgrade), Pavle Popovic (Kraljevo), Milena Tosic (Vranje), Mihaela Ivanova (Bulgaria), Boris Eremic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) , Biljana Kekovic (Montenegro) and Giuseppe Gonela (Germany). The 55th edition of the Art Colony Sićevo is organized by the Gallery of Contemporary Arts, supported by by the City of Niš.




DAYS OF REPUBLIKA SRPSKA IN NIS

 

September 9

The manifestation of Republika Srpska Days in Serbia for the seventh consecutive year began with a festive academy on the Grand Stage of the National Theater in Belgrade. The event, which will promote culture, economy, science and art in the 21 cities of our country by September 10, was opened by Milorad Dodik, the Serbian member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina. On this occasion he asked for support for the event to be called “Days of Republika Srpska and Serbia” in the future. The name, as Dodik has explained, refers to the unity that must be nurtured, adding that Republika Srpska has all the elements of statehood and meets all the criteria for being internationally verified as a state. In Niš, the Speaker of Nis City Assembly, Rade Rajković, met with the Speaker of the Republika Srpska National Assembly, Nedeljko Čubrilović, and his associates. They discussed the improvement of cooperation between the city and Republika Srpska, and it was pointed out that the cooperation so far was excellent due to personal commitment of the two presidents. The delegation led by National Assembly Speaker Nedeljko Cubrilovic visited some of the most important monuments of history in Nis: the archeological site of the Mediana, the  Skull Tower and the monument dedicated to duke Stevan Sindjelic. The well-received and applauded theater performance by National Theatre from Banja Luka was a successful end to both the visit of the Republika Srpska delegation “Days of Republika Srpska in Serbia” event.




55thART COLONY IN SICEVO

 

September 3

 

2019 Sićevo Art Colony was opened for the 55th time. The colony was officially opened by Nis City Council Member Jelena Mitrovski, who emphasized that this art event was of great importance for Niš and that it has been gathering significant artists from Serbia and the world over the years. The founder of the colony is the famous Serbian painter Nadezda Petrovic, who in 1905 brought together colleagues from studios in Munich: Jakopič, Grohar, Vesel, Vučetić and Meštrović. Thus, she and her colleagues from Croatia and Slovenia formed the First Yugoslav Art Colony. Niš artists renewed the idea of ​​a colony in 1964, and ever since it has been held continuously in Sićevo. This year the colony will bring together 11 participants from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Germany, Bulgaria and Montenegro. The works will be presented by: Vukasin Stankovic and Vladica Ristic (Nis), Nikola Vukosavljevic, Aleksandar Cvetkovic and Milica Rakic ​​(Belgrade), Pavle Popovic (Kraljevo), Milena Tosic (Vranje), Mihaela Ivanova (Bulgaria), Boris Eremic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) , Biljana Kekovic (Montenegro), Giuseppe Gonela (Germany).




MEETING WITH THE HEADS OF UNDP AND UNHCR IN SERBIA

August 29

 

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic met with UNDP and UNHCR representatives in Serbia about the assistance these organizations has been providing to the city in the implementation of projects of particular importance to national minorities. The meeting was also attended by Nis City Council Member for Social Care Issues Mrs. Tijana Djordjevic Ilic and Assistant Mayor Goran Milosavljević. Mayor Bulatovic emphasized the openness of the City of Nis to all projects that would improve the quality of life of minority communities and that excellent cooperation has been achieved so far.  UNDP Resident Representative to Serbia Ms. Francine Pickup highlighted the great experience that UNDP has in the implementation of projects all around the world. UNDP Strategic Plan focuses on key areas such as poverty reduction, democratic governance, peacebuilding, climate change and disaster risk and economic inequality. UNDP supports governments in integrating sustainable development goals into their national development plans and policies. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals involves partnering governments, the private sector, civil society and citizens to ensure a better living environment for future generations. The head of the UNHCR in Serbia, Hans Friedrich Schoder expressed satisfaction with the progress in the area of refugee care through existing programs and announced continued support to the Government of Serbia, the civil sector and local governments in addressing key refugee problems.

 




NIS AIRPORT GROWTH TREND CONTINUED

August 16

The press conference held at the Nis City Hall highlighted the role and importance of Nis Airport in the aviation world, as well as the importance of the City of Nis as the regional center of Serbia. Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic, as well as Director of PE Serbian Airports Mihajlo Zdravkovic and the director of Nis Airport Constantine the Great Dusan Knezevic emphasized that positive trends in the number of airlines, passengers and goods transported that confirmed that the decision to cooperate with the Government of Serbia and the line ministry and state institutions was justified and right. “The criticism that we want to close Nis Airport and banish the low cost airlines has simply proved to be political and completely incorrect. The arrival of the national airline, which opened 12 new routes, not only did not and will not drive other airlines out of Nis, but caused the opposite effect. The number of passengers is increasing, as well as number of destination that you can fly from Nis and the number of regular flights which again is proved by Ryanair which will start flying from Nis to Malta on November 8,”said Mayor Bulatovic. The director of PE Serbian Airport Mihajlo Zdravkovic said that, in recent months, it has been clearly shown that the existing capacities of the airport are in every sense exceeded and that the number of employees has to be increased quickly, as well as the technical capacity for accepting aircrafts, and it is already being intensively worked on. In addition he announced the reconstruction and significant expansion of the departure/arrival building to give passengers greater comfort and much better conditions at the airport. The introduction of a new flight from Nis to Malta confirmed the trend of air traffic development, said also the director of Constantine the Great Airport Dusan Knezevic, who emphasized that in July alone more than 35,000 passengers went through the Nis airport and that, according to current indicators, the number of passenger in August would reach 50 000. He added that in addition to 12 Air Serbia flights and the new Ryanair flight to Malta, Wizz Air would increase the flight dynamics from 2 to 4 to Malmo from April next year. “In addition to the arrival of new airlines, new flights are being introduced by airlines with whom we have long-standing cooperation, which proves that the development of air traffic at this airport has a positive growth trend, and that the projection of about 420,000 passengers annually in 2018 will be realized.” said Director Knezevic.




CITY OF NIS TOGETHER WITH 210 EUROPEAN CITIES FIGHTING AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE

August 14

City of Nis has joined a group of 210 cities across Europe, representing 62 million citizens, whose mayors and leaders demanded that the European Council and Member States intensify EU commitment to climate change, show global leadership and take an ambitious approach to lead rapid advances in the implementation of the Paris Agreement. The open letter, signed by the leaders of cities from 21 EU member states and 7 neighboring countries, was published ahead of the Future of Europe conference in Sibiu, Romania (https://energy-cities.eu/policy/cities-call -for-a-more-sustainable-and-equitable-european-future/). Their demands include: developing a fair and inclusive European long-term climate strategy that will increase resilience to climate change and ensure that greenhouse gas emissions are more than halved by 2030 by 2020 and reach zero net emissions by 2020 2050; advance the EU climate and energy targets by 2030 and targets set at national level to ensure a rapid, equitable and climate-resilient energy transition in line with the above objectives; aligning the next long-term EU budget with this strategy, eliminating fossil fuel subsidies and making climate action a priority in all funding programs; obliging all EU Member States to set binding zero net emission reduction targets and other targets above. “As Nis City Mayor I am extremely proud to add my name to this letter signed by mayors from all over Europe,” said Darko Bulatovic, Mayor of Nis. “Our citizens have the same concerns as citizens of all Europe, concerns for their children and for their future. The City of Nis is ready to lead by example the energy transition towards a carbon-neutral future, but we need the support from our government and from all levels of EU to ensure that these ambitious but necessary goals are met. “




RECEPTION FOR THE AMBASSADOR OF SWEDEN

August 13th

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatovic met with the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Sweden in Serbia Mr.  Jan Lundin at Nis City Hall and on this occasion the two officials discussed promoting co-operation and developing bilateral relations. The cooperation so far has been excellent, especially in the field of culture and environment, which is especially true of the project of preparing the tender and technical documentation for the construction of the Waste Water Treatment Plant, which has been supported by Sweden through Sida. Mayor Bulatovic and Ambassador Lundin also stressed the importance of maintaining 3 airline routes from Nis to cities in Sweden, Stockholm and Malmo and recently Gothenburg. According to Ambassador Lundin this will be of great benefit primarily to the numerous Serbian diaspora in this Scandinavian country, as well as to tourists from Sweden who want to get to know this part of Europe as well, because of the rich heritage of this part of Serbia, as well as the many attractive events and festivals, such as the just completed Nisville. It was also estimated that the improvement of air traffic, as well as all other types of traffic, significantly increased the capacities of Nis and this part of Serbia in attracting new investors from this friendly country, which, as agreed, would be the focus of future cooperation between Nis and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Sweden in Serbia.




ANIMATED FILM COLONY AND FESTIVAL IN NIS

July 25

Nis City Mayor Darko Bulatović visited the Children’s Library where the 13th International Colony of Animated Film for Children and Youth was being held. On this occasion Mayor Bulatovic greeted the children from country and abroad and thanked them for coming to our city, and said that he supported their artistic work and creativity and wished them a lot of success and rewards in the future. Over 30 talented students from 10 to 18 the country and the world traditionally spend several days with their peers from Nis in creative atmosphere, workshops and sightseeing of the city. During the workshops led by renowned lecturers and mentors the children discussed many topics. Along with the organization of the Colony the International Festival of Animated Film Coin of Constantine will be held for the 7th time According to organizers 894 films from 86 countries were enrolled for the festival. Of this number, after the selection, 84 films from 31 countries were selected for the contest. There are 45 films in the senior category and 39 in the Student category. The first prize at the festival was awarded to the film After the Rain from France, explaining that the film represented the perfect combination of animation, visual style, dramaturgy and sound. The same film was awarded with the first prize and in the category of seniors. In this category, the second prize went to China’s movie The Quintet of the Sunset, and the jury explained the decision with “the wonderful characterization and poetic sense of human life. The third prize in this category went to the Russian film Quiet for an aesthetic and nostalgic view of the relations between generations. In the student category, the first prize went to the film The Little Hero, which came from Romania. This is an educational story expressed through classical animation and beautiful graphics. The second prize went to the Israeli film Reviver, accompanied by a commentary that this was “an excellent example of a convincing story told using a complex stop-trick technique. The third prize went to Russia for the film Blanket Tale, for innovative and fun movie with great visual style and energy.