BELGRADE -- Serbia is still a country with the greatest number of refugees in Europe 21 years after the start of the wars that saw the disintegration of Yugoslavia.
Serbia currently hosts over 260K refugees and IDPs
BELGRADE -- Serbia is still a country with the greatest number of refugees in Europe 21 years after the start of the wars that saw the disintegration of Yugoslavia.
Source: Tanjug
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“These are mainly people from Croatia, whose number exceeds 41,000, and Bosnia-Herzegovina - 15,300 of them,” said Svetlana Velimirović, deputy commissioner for refugees and migrations of the Republic of Serbia, adding that there are also 210,000 internally displaced persons from Kosovo andMetohija.
She said that around 250,000 persons, who once had the status of refugees, have in the meantime taken Serbian citizenship.
“The researches that we have conducted with the High Commission for Refugees and the International Refugee Organization show that 95 percent want to stay in Serbia and get integrated here, while only five percent want to return to their previous places of residence,” Velimirović said, adding that so far 70,000 persons have returned to Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Velimirović said that in the coming three years the remaining 18 collective centers in Serbia are planned to be closed, except for 11 centers in Kosovo and Metohija, with support of the EU, which have granted funds for this purpose.
Luca Bianconi, first secretary and head of the political sector of the EU Delegation in Serbia, said that the EU is the greatest donor for the solution of the refugee issues in the world, and in Serbia as well, and that it has donated EUR 230 million for the regional housing program.
Aside from the financial help, we are ready to offer political assistance in the search for sustainable solutions, Bianconi said.
According to the annual report of the UNHCR, today there are more refugees and internally displaced persons in the world than ever since 1994, it was stated at the conference.
The number of persons who were expelled from homes during wars and persecution is on the rise, and in 2012 it went up from 43 million to more than 45 million in 2013, stated Anne Birgitte Hansen of the UNHCR.
She said that Afghanistan is still a country which is a source of the greatest number of refugees, followed by Iraq and Syria, while Pakistan received the greatest number of refugees - 1.6 million, Iraq around a million and Germany around half a million.
Grassroots:
Are there any Roma refugees in your town or is it all Serbian.
What is bothersome is the lack of Serb and Serbian government effort at asserting their rights and at least trying to get compensation for the use of their property, including intact homes which are now housing Albanians and the international community.
Serbs or the Serbian government should sue for the use of their property/land/homes or for compensation at being kept from utilizing it.
(ida, 22 June 2013 01:16)
Ian, many of the Roma refugees are probably counted as "Serbian refugees" because of their status as Serbian citizens or born in the Serbian province, Kosovo.
It's well-known that Kosovo Roma were pressured/threatened by the Albanians into declaring themselves Albanian instead of Roma for the census counts. That inflated the ethnic Albanian population of Kosovo and shortchanged the substantial Roma population there.
(ida, 22 June 2013 01:05)
The UN is only helping croatia.bosnia and kosovo to ethnically cleanse Serbians so they dont go back to those areas by throwing money to the Serbian Government this is been done in a sneaky way.... Shame on you UN
(eavon, 21 June 2013 16:28)
You are only fooling yourself Ian. What about the gyppos? Don't they count in your book? Are they not serb citizens too? Don't pretend your give a damn either about serbs or any right to return denied them by the West.
(Borked Record UK, 21 June 2013 14:13)
"“These are mainly people from Croatia, whose number exceeds 41,000, and Bosnia-Herzegovina - 15,300 of them,” said Svetlana Velimirović, deputy commissioner for refugees and migrations of the Republic of Serbia, adding that there are also 210,000 internally displaced persons from Kosovo andMetohija."
Nice propaganda. Inflating figures to portray Serbs as victims to gain political sympthay.
Apparently there are 210,000 Serb refugees from Kosovo living in Serbia despite the fact there were only 194,000 Serbs in Kosovo in 1991. How is that possible? And there are another 150,000 Serbs currently living in Kosovo today.
210,000 + 150,000 = 360,000 Kosovo Serbs in total. Am I really supposed to believe that the Kosovo Serb population has increased by 166,000 since 1991?
I'm not buying it. I can see straight through these lies!
(Ian, UK, 21 June 2013 12:51)
As bad as this might sound, these refugees and IDPs are a huge strain on Serbia, even those who've now settled permanently. It costs millions to find temporary housing and millions more to settle them permanently somewhere. I know this because my large town (small city now) hosts thousands of Serbs from Kosovo, its completely overcrowded and the infrastructure in place just can't handle it.
(Grassroots, 20 June 2013 19:28)
The UN is only helping croatia.bosnia and kosovo to ethnically cleanse Serbians so they dont go back to those areas by throwing money to the Serbian Government this is been done in a sneaky way.... Shame on you UN
(eavon, 21 June 2013 16:28)
As bad as this might sound, these refugees and IDPs are a huge strain on Serbia, even those who've now settled permanently. It costs millions to find temporary housing and millions more to settle them permanently somewhere. I know this because my large town (small city now) hosts thousands of Serbs from Kosovo, its completely overcrowded and the infrastructure in place just can't handle it.
(Grassroots, 20 June 2013 19:28)
"“These are mainly people from Croatia, whose number exceeds 41,000, and Bosnia-Herzegovina - 15,300 of them,” said Svetlana Velimirović, deputy commissioner for refugees and migrations of the Republic of Serbia, adding that there are also 210,000 internally displaced persons from Kosovo andMetohija."
Nice propaganda. Inflating figures to portray Serbs as victims to gain political sympthay.
Apparently there are 210,000 Serb refugees from Kosovo living in Serbia despite the fact there were only 194,000 Serbs in Kosovo in 1991. How is that possible? And there are another 150,000 Serbs currently living in Kosovo today.
210,000 + 150,000 = 360,000 Kosovo Serbs in total. Am I really supposed to believe that the Kosovo Serb population has increased by 166,000 since 1991?
I'm not buying it. I can see straight through these lies!
(Ian, UK, 21 June 2013 12:51)
You are only fooling yourself Ian. What about the gyppos? Don't they count in your book? Are they not serb citizens too? Don't pretend your give a damn either about serbs or any right to return denied them by the West.
(Borked Record UK, 21 June 2013 14:13)
Ian, many of the Roma refugees are probably counted as "Serbian refugees" because of their status as Serbian citizens or born in the Serbian province, Kosovo.
It's well-known that Kosovo Roma were pressured/threatened by the Albanians into declaring themselves Albanian instead of Roma for the census counts. That inflated the ethnic Albanian population of Kosovo and shortchanged the substantial Roma population there.
(ida, 22 June 2013 01:05)
Grassroots:
Are there any Roma refugees in your town or is it all Serbian.
What is bothersome is the lack of Serb and Serbian government effort at asserting their rights and at least trying to get compensation for the use of their property, including intact homes which are now housing Albanians and the international community.
Serbs or the Serbian government should sue for the use of their property/land/homes or for compensation at being kept from utilizing it.
(ida, 22 June 2013 01:16)
"“These are mainly people from Croatia, whose number exceeds 41,000, and Bosnia-Herzegovina - 15,300 of them,” said Svetlana Velimirović, deputy commissioner for refugees and migrations of the Republic of Serbia, adding that there are also 210,000 internally displaced persons from Kosovo andMetohija."
Nice propaganda. Inflating figures to portray Serbs as victims to gain political sympthay.
Apparently there are 210,000 Serb refugees from Kosovo living in Serbia despite the fact there were only 194,000 Serbs in Kosovo in 1991. How is that possible? And there are another 150,000 Serbs currently living in Kosovo today.
210,000 + 150,000 = 360,000 Kosovo Serbs in total. Am I really supposed to believe that the Kosovo Serb population has increased by 166,000 since 1991?
I'm not buying it. I can see straight through these lies!
(Ian, UK, 21 June 2013 12:51)
You are only fooling yourself Ian. What about the gyppos? Don't they count in your book? Are they not serb citizens too? Don't pretend your give a damn either about serbs or any right to return denied them by the West.
(Borked Record UK, 21 June 2013 14:13)
As bad as this might sound, these refugees and IDPs are a huge strain on Serbia, even those who've now settled permanently. It costs millions to find temporary housing and millions more to settle them permanently somewhere. I know this because my large town (small city now) hosts thousands of Serbs from Kosovo, its completely overcrowded and the infrastructure in place just can't handle it.
(Grassroots, 20 June 2013 19:28)
The UN is only helping croatia.bosnia and kosovo to ethnically cleanse Serbians so they dont go back to those areas by throwing money to the Serbian Government this is been done in a sneaky way.... Shame on you UN
(eavon, 21 June 2013 16:28)
Ian, many of the Roma refugees are probably counted as "Serbian refugees" because of their status as Serbian citizens or born in the Serbian province, Kosovo.
It's well-known that Kosovo Roma were pressured/threatened by the Albanians into declaring themselves Albanian instead of Roma for the census counts. That inflated the ethnic Albanian population of Kosovo and shortchanged the substantial Roma population there.
(ida, 22 June 2013 01:05)
Grassroots:
Are there any Roma refugees in your town or is it all Serbian.
What is bothersome is the lack of Serb and Serbian government effort at asserting their rights and at least trying to get compensation for the use of their property, including intact homes which are now housing Albanians and the international community.
Serbs or the Serbian government should sue for the use of their property/land/homes or for compensation at being kept from utilizing it.
(ida, 22 June 2013 01:16)