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I am not particularly proud of what I find, but that is why I am here to fix, edit and go, just as I was in the construction, traffic and infrastructure field, Zorana Mihajlović, Deputy Prime Minister told “Blic” of Serbia and Minister of Mining and Energy.
He points out that the energy and mining sector is too important to Serbia, its development and its citizens, and that there is no time for anyone in this department not to do the best they can.
– I hope to work in the same way, with the same energy, enthusiasm and commitment as in the ministry that I previously headed, so that Serbia is an energy-safe country.
They say going back to the mining and energy department is a degradation for you. What do you say to that?
– It depends on how you look. If it’s only driven by one role in life, then maybe it can be interpreted that way. But if you look at things fundamentally, if you get a result, if you have a vision of how the sector can improve and the ability to change things for the better, then I could not agree with such assessments. Energy is important for our country, for our citizens, just as it is for Serbia’s position in the region and Europe, which reflects our stability and connection to the world. I know what I want to do in this department and I don’t care how others see it.
What kind of situation left the successor in the Ministry of Construction, do you think Tomislav Momirović will cope as minister?
– I left an organized, efficient and respected sector, both in the country and internationally. It is the result of six years of serious and dedicated work transformed into 350 kilometers of new roads, the completion of Corridor 10, the “Milos Veliki” highway from Belgrade to Cacak and more than 550 kilometers of rebuilt railways. We have launched new projects, from the Moravian Corridor, Preljina-Požega section, Sremska Rača-Kuzmin, signed a contract for the Fruška Gora corridor … Today there are more than 67,000 active construction sites in Serbia, and there were 1,500 in 2014, We are ninth in the world on the World Bank’s Doing Business list after issuing building permits, the number of vehicles on the road increased from 37 million in 2014 to almost 57 million last year. New airports were opened and, after several decades, large investments were launched in water transport. I wish the new minister a happy job and offered him all kinds of help. I believe that the results of this sector will be even better, because there are many projects that are underway and that I believe will be completed successfully, for the benefit of the citizens of Serbia.
What will be your first steps at the head of the new department? Did Aleksandar Antic give you any advice?
– The first step is undoubtedly a meeting with the department’s company directors. It seems to me that some do not understand how responsible and important the roles they play are to work for the citizens of this country. We will have to change the way we work in some companies, and I will be especially concerned with regional projects, which are as important in energy as in transport. If Serbia has regained its place in transport as a transit corridor and regional center, we must equally work on our positioning in the energy sector, for which we have all the prerequisites as a country with a central position in the region. As a minister, I am always there to talk to both the citizens and the employees of the Ministry, to do everything possible to have enough energy and energy, but also to make them of much better quality. Certainly, the priority will be the accelerated realization of investments initiated in a much more transparent way. You have to know everything within the project, that there is responsibility for those who arrive late. In addition to investments, it is important to increase the efficiency of companies in the sector, with all that it contributes, and I expect a lot of work from managers and unions, and together. Furthermore, much more than before, the focus will be on protecting the environment. We will also start some new projects, and what is especially important is the complete installation of a ramp for all corridors, of which there are many in this sector. Regarding the handover, former Minister Antić briefed me on key and current issues in the department. We have been friends for many years, he gave me a bottle of wine and we agreed to open it together.
What do you say to the comments that as a minister who is liked by the West, you run a ministry that is closely related to Russia?
– While running the Ministry of Construction, Transportation and Infrastructure, we cooperated with the world’s largest companies and our partners were from Germany, the EU, the United States, China, Russia, Turkey and Azerbaijan. And I don’t know what’s unusual in the fact that after 20 years in energy, I use energy. Of course, relationships with all partners in the world are important, because energy is strategically important and an important foreign policy issue. It is important for us to cooperate and have new partners, compared to the ones we currently have. Everything that is being done, every step that is taken in this sector, will be in the interest of Serbia and its citizens. Through the Washington economic agreement, and the first step is the feasibility study to be done, we must do everything possible so that Lake Gazivode is used for the benefit of all, because it is an important natural resource in this part of Serbia. Why not think of projects involving Kosovo Serbs as well as foreign partners? Divisions as in the Cold War era, I think, have long been bridged.
We have up to 11 women in this government. What are you waiting for?
– Considering how long I fought to have more women in political and public life, I will be even happier to achieve results. For the first time, Serbia has 50 percent of women in the Government and we know that all eyes will be on them and their work, their decisions, the laws they will propose.
I hope that in the new government, Serbia will finally get a law on gender equality, for which there was no agreement within the previous government and a ministry. This does not mean that everything is solved and that we are a society with total gender equality. We are not. There are many more obstacles for women, discrimination, stereotypes … When it was announced that women would be half the government, I received messages that it was enough to be a woman and be in government. It is so humiliating, as if it means that if you are a man then you must lead the world.
So our eyes are on all of us, and we should try even harder to break stereotypes. Because we are better at everything, both at school and at work, and we are less valued.
What do you think of the fact that Vučić announced new parliamentary elections in a year and a half?
It is less important if the government is going to last a year or two, it is much more important how we will use that time, to work every day as much as possible, because that is what we are here for, to work for the citizens. I invite all citizens, all those who are in institutions that deal with energy or mining, to come back, the doors of the Ministry are open to all and they are free to go to any problem, proposal, suggestion. People in Serbia cannot be allowed to wait for electrical connection for more than 120 days, and due to insufficient quality of electricity in some parts of the country, people suffer from household appliances. The state spends a lot of money on this sector. That money will now be controlled by someone, and also, it will be necessary to explain why things are not better today.
The opposition has already announced that it will not accept the unification of the elections. How do you comment on that?
The easiest thing in life is to take refuge and do nothing. Those who think like this should not even get involved in politics, and open spaces for people who want to do something for their country, no matter what political option they belong to. In this case, behind the boycott is the lack of programs, ideas, and unwillingness to take responsibility. Those who are not willing to fight for their voters, with their program, will always find an excuse, but the citizens have clearly shown that they have grown tired of those who fight only for their own interest.
Do you think you should go to the 2022 elections on your own or alongside the SPS, possibly with the Shapic SPAS?
Politically, everyone wants to have as much support as possible. On the other hand, I think there are many small parties that cannot even win elections for local communities, and they are relying on the SNS and that is how they are achieved with safe backs. I am in favor of clean accounts with partners. To begin with, I don’t like to blush for some who are not from the SNS, but they make mistakes. Second, we need the best and highest quality, and not those who are only in one political party to be somewhere. I am always in favor of cooperation between the SNS and minority parties, and we should create conditions for them and let everyone else come into the game.
In the new government, we obtained the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue. The new minister is Gordana Comic. Was it a surprise for you?
No, it was no surprise. We have an excellent relationship since I was Minister of Energy. We’ve known each other since 2012. And that’s a woman who even then advocated for gender equality. Both then and now, she has a vision of how things move and that is exactly why everyone is attacking her. The opposition is desperate because they see in their example what they could have achieved, but failed. An additional reason to attack her is that they do not seem to realize that the times are changing. I wish her and all the members of the government every success in their work, because each one of our steps forward is many steps for each citizen of this country.
It doesn’t matter whose staff the manager is
After the break, he will cooperate with Dušan Bajatović again. It will work?
– I think this is a good topic for the media, but six years ago, like now, I was not interested in the name of the director of “Srbijagas”, as long as this company works properly. However, both then and now, I very responsibly state that “Srbijagas” could have done much better and that the changes, which are inevitable, are up to the director. It is wrong to look at energy through this prism, because energy is much more than whether the director is a member of the SPS or some other party. Energy is important for faster economic growth, for a better quality of life, and it is a strategically important sector that can lead us to a much better position in the world.
VIDEO: Zorana Mihajlovic took Bajatovic out of the match
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