Accompanied by representatives of the Serb National Council (SNV), which conducts the earthquake-relief drive “Banija is Our House”, Davor Trkulja, the acting charge d’affaires at the embassy, presented the donation.
“After this stressful event, which affected Sisak-Moslavina County, people in Serbia reacted with great empathy regarding everything that occurred and so the Serbian government, at the proposal of the president, was among the first to decide to make a donation, giving Croatia €1 million in emergency aid for the earthquake victims,” said Trkulja.
Other institutions in Serbia, including regional governments, joined in quickly, with Belgrade donating €100,000 to the Zagreb-Ljubljana (Orthodox) Eparchy, he said.
“Serbia’s Embassy too became involved in the drive and secured €100,000 from donors to procure 25 housing containers and these first two are part of that donation. They are equipped with bathrooms and fittings and can be occupied immediately. We have procured six larger containers… that have two extra rooms,” Trkulja explained.
Donation campaigns are continuing, Trkulja said, thanking the Zagreb-Ljubljana Metropolitanate and SNV for their assistance. “I call on all people of good will to do all they can to help the earthquake victims,” he added.
MP Dragana Jeckov of the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) said that the aid Serbia sent in the first days after the devastating earthquake would not be forgotten. She expressed her gratitude for the money donated.
At the same time, she recalled the SNV’s earthquake-relief drive, noting that many donors had made contributions. Numerous individuals and organisations, she underlined, helped as much as they could with money, food, toiletries and other goods.
