"Via RSHC, Serbia has access to Russia's space satellites"

"Via RSHC, Serbia has access to Russia's space satellites"

"A lot of money has been invested through the Center, many (fire)trucks and equipment have been given to the (Serbian) Ministry of the Interior, and taxes had to be paid for everything, and partially customs fees," Glamoclija said.

According to him, financial incentives would mean a lot to the Center, especially considering the plans to establish, by the end of the year, a training center that would have the latest training devices and learning tools.

"If we do this successfully, we will have the most modern emergency situations training center not only in the Balkans, but also in Europe," Glamoclija said.

He recalled that the agreement granting employees in the Russian-Serbian Humanitarian Center diplomatic status has existed since 2014, but has not yet been signed.

"The agreement has been drafted and Serbia and Russia agreed on it," he said. "It's not signed, but we expect it to be completed," Glamoclija said, adding that the Center was important for Serbia also for cosmic monitoring - "something that few people know about, because it isn't visible."

With every international organization working in the territory of Serbia, he recalled, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs makes a special agreement and every international organization has signed this agreement.

"Through the Russian-Serbian Humanitarian Center, we have the opportunity to get information from the National Center for Emergency Management in Russia about the dangers threatening our country," Glamoclija said.

According to him, in March last year, the Center received an announcement from Russia five days before the floods that Serbia was threatened by heavy rainfall.

"This information was immediately forwarded to the (MUP) Emergency Situations Sector, who prepared people on the ground. It is much more effective to preempt the consequences in that way," Glamoclija said.

He stressed that the Russian-Serbian Humanitarian Center can, at no cost, make use of all the opportunities that Russia has at its disposal in terms of satellite and cosmic monitoring.

"We do not have to invest money in launching a satellite. Bulgaria has recently launched a geostationary satellite, and that cost them over 320 million dollars," Glamoclija said.

The RSCH director also recalled that more than 300 members of firefighting and rescue units and other participants in civil defense have so far been trained, through the Center for Emergency Training in Russia.