Serbian intelligence agency BIA marks 22 anniversary, President Vucic lays wreath

Director Vladimir Orlic and BIA officers during today's ceremony; Photo: Telegraf.rs

The Security and Information Agency (BIA) today celebrates its day, and the 22nd anniversary of founding. To mark that, President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic laid a wreath at the Memorial Wall that has the names of the fallen members of the agency inscribed on it.

President of the Serbian Assembly Ana Brbnabic, Minister of Defense Bratislav Gasic, Minister of Internal Affairs Ivica Dacic, Minister of Finance Sinisa Mali, Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija Petar Petkovic, as well as BIA Director Vladimir Orlic were all in attendance.

BIA was formed based in the Law on Security and Information Agency, which came into force on July 27, 2002.

BIA is a civilian, national security service, a part of the unified security and intelligence system of Serbia.

BIA is also marking as its day the anniversary of the establishment of Serbia's Department for Confidential Police Affairs, which happened 125 years ago.

In the Kingdom of Serbia, civilian security and intelligence affairs were institutionally organized for the first time based on the Law on Supplementing and Changing the Organization of the Central State Administration, passed in 1899.

By decree of King Aleksandar Obrenovic, the affairs of the Department for Confidential Police Affairs in 1900 moved under the jurisdiction of the Police Department at the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Recognizing the importance of the first legal regulation of civilian security-intelligence affairs in Serbia, BIA marks October 17 as its day.

(Telegraf.rs/Tanjug)