Vesic: Financial details and details of lease of General Staff Complex not yet agreed

The details of the lease and the financial details for the revitalization of the complex of the former Ministry of Defense and the General Staff Building in Kneza Milosa Street in Belgrade, which was destroyed during the NATO bombing in 1999, have not yet been agreed, stated the minister of construction, transport and infrastructure of Serbia, Goran Vesic. Let us remind that, on Wednesday, on behalf of the Government of Serbia, he signed the agreement on the revitalization of the General Staff Building with the American company Affinity Global Development, led by Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of former U.S. president Donald Trump, but Vesic claims for TV Insajder, that it is only a “framework agreement”.

According to him, with that agreement, the government has selected a partner, who now, based on the agreement, has the right to start carrying out the project, communicating with the competent institutions in Serbia, such as institutes – from those for protection to those for urban planning.

Vesic added that Kushner’s company was now able to open an international contest for the memorial center for the victims of the NATO aggression and that, in the meantime, that project could be pronounced a project of national importance.

It is only after that, according to the minister, that the commercial agreement is to follow, which should be signed and within which all the details will be known – from the price of the lease of land for 99 years, to the price of revitalization.

– So, the land will not be sold, that is defined by this agreement, that there is no sale. Instead, the value of the facility and how much the revitalization will cost will be defined, because that is not known yet, until those projects and plans are prepared, so we are yet to sign the real agreement that will define that and I believe that it cannot be signed in a period shorter than a year and a half or two years, because all this needs to be finished in the meantime – said Vesic.

When asked about the media allegations that the 99-year lease will be arranged without a fee, Vesic said that it was not true.

– No, that is not true. According to the Law on Planning and Construction, by direct agreement, when it comes to a project of national importance, you can sign an agreement, you can’t put it up for lease without a fee, that’s not true either – said Vesic.

He said that there was such a possibility if it was done through an interstate agreement.

– So, which of these models will be used depends on when the investor finishes all these jobs and when we start signing the commercial agreement – Vesic responded.

Ministarstvo odbrane Republike Srbije

Ministarstvo građevinarstva, saobraćaja i infrastrukture Republike Srbije

Affinity Global Development

Goran Vesić

Jared Kushner

Donald Trump

General Staff Building in Kneza Miloša Street

NATO bombing 1999

revitalization of General Staff Building in Kneza Miloša Street

Residential office Complex Generalštab Belgrade