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Minister of Defence presented with the “Human Amongst People” award

08.08.2020. The Minister of Defense and the President of the Working Group for the resolution of the problems of mixed migration flows, Mr. Aleksandar Vulin, received the ‘Human Amongst People’ award as given by the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration of the Republic of Serbia. 

This is the first time that the award has been given to someone not working within the Commissariat. The Commissioner for Refugees and Migration, Mr. Vladimir Cucic presented Minister Vulin with the award at a ceremony held in the Reception Centre in Obrenovac, following which those in attendance reviewed the reconstruction works currently being carried out within the facility.  

Speaking on the decision to recognize Minister Vulin with the award ‘Human Amongst People’, the Commissioner for Refugees and Migration, Mr. Vladimir Cucic expressed his appreciation for the support that has been provided to the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration over the past few years by someone who, irrespective of their institutional position or official responsibilities, has responded with honesty and good faith in helping to tackle the multitude of challenges which have arisen over the past few years.  

“I began working with Minister Vulin while he was still within the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, and continued through his engagement as the Minister of Labour, Employment, Veterans and Social Affairs, and have had the good fortune of working with him through two significant crisis situations in his capacity as the President of the Working Group for Resolving the Problems of Mixed Migration Flows since 2015.  The award he has been presented with this day is not unexpected and in truth should have been presented to him earlier, but in 2020 we have had to adapt ourselves to working under conditions ultimately determined by the pandemic and as such it is only now that we have gained the opportunity of recognizing Minister Aleksandar Vulin with the ‘Human Amongst People’ award,” stated Mr. Cucic and went on to express his firm conviction that the award in question is well deserved when taking into account the totality of the minister’s efforts to date. 

Mr. Cucic made particular mention of the exceptional cooperation that has been achieved with the Ministry of Defence, adding that there are but few units within the Military of the Republic of Serbia with whom they have as yet not had some manner of cooperation over the course of the previous period.

“Once more I wish to express my complete gratitude and recognition for everything that Minister Vulin has helped us to achieve these past few years.  There are three things which have never been denied Serbia, one of which has been the recognition it has received on account of its successes in managing the ‘Migration Crisis’, and Minister Vulin is the president of this Working Group, all of which further attests to the manner in which he has committed himself to the task at hand, as does the success he has had in this regard,” concluded Commissioner Cucic.

Minister Vulin expressed his gratitude at having been recognized with the ‘Human Amongst People’ award, particularly on account of his being the first person not working within the Commissariat for Refugees and Migration to receive the award.

“Receiving this award from these people is a particular honour.  These are brave, hardworking and dedicated people who have been exposed to the most difficult of situations since back in 2015 when we had a daily influx of up to 10,000 persons; these are people who did not desert their positions when conditions were far worse than they are at present; people who fear neither disease nor migrants, nor anything else which might befall them; who have always remained standing firmly beside their country and their people.  These are people who have been here since the times of ‘Operation Storm’; people who were tasked with receiving our persecuted countrymen at Raca, who fully understand the importance of internally displaced Serbian people from Kosovo and Metohija having had to receive them in their flight from Albanian terrorists.  These are people who have transported over a million migrants through this country and who, during all this time, did not allow for a single serious incident to take place on our territory.  These are people whose respect and whose gratitude means a lot, and all of us should pay them our respect and give them our collective gratitude,” stated Minister Vulin.