The state-of-the-art scanner for air cargo control, which began operating at the airport "Nikola Tesla" in Belgrade, will significantly contribute to faster and safer clearance of merchandise as well as to prevention of smuggling and the fight against crime, Director of the Customs Administration Predrag Petronijevic stated. Chinese ambassador to Serbia Zhang Wanhue and State Secretary in the Ministry of Finance Miodrag Djidic attended the ceremony. Biljana Blanusa has more.
As part of the project focusing on modernization of border crossings and customs offices, the Serbian Government allocated substantial funds to purchase the latest equipment, including the air cargo scanner that occupies an important place, Petronijevic said. According to him, 10 mobile scanners for goods controlled at border crossings and in customs offices have been purchased so far, as well as a large scanner for freight traffic and two smaller ones for passenger baggage checks at airports in Belgrade and Nis. Owing to this, the results achieved during the past year have been impressive and had a positive impact on security in general. A large quantity of gold, cigarettes, and narcotics has been seized, but particularly good results have been achieved in the field of illegal immigration, which confirmed that the investment was justified. It is also planned to continue the modernization of border crossings in the coming period, which will encompass the beginning of reconstruction of the border crossings Bajmok, Vatin, and Gostun in 2013, to be funded by the EU.
Chinese ambassador to Serbia, Zhang Wanhue reminded that three years ago Serbia and China signed an agreement on strategic partnership, adding that the cooperation between the Chinese company "Nuktek" and the Serbian Customs Administration is yet another confirmation of good bilateral relations between the two countries. He pointed that "Nuktek" is one of the best high tech companies not just in China but around the world, and he expressed conviction that their equipment will contribute to increased quality and safety of the customs service operations in Serbia.