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Wayne David is the Labour Member of Parliament for the Caerphilly constituency. He is also a shadow foreign minister
Earlier this month, I participated in a cross-party parliamentary visit to Serbia, in the western Balkans. This is a troubled part of the world. When the former country of Yugoslavia broke up, there was a bitter and bloody conflict between the Serbs, the Croats and the Muslims. More recently, there has been internal conflict within Serbia, leading to the creation of the new state of Kosovo. This was in the early 1990s, and just a few months ago NATO sent extra peacekeepers to northern Kosovo to help calm down the situation.
The main purpose of our visit as parliamentarians was a diplomatic one. As well as wanting to get a better understanding of the situation in Serbia, we also went with the deliberate intention of developing closer relations between our respective parliaments. During our few days in the country, we met with politicians, civil society organisations and local government representatives. We also met with a senior figure in the Serbian Orthodox Christian Church, and with a number of British businesspeople who have established businesses in Serbia.
It was a fascinating and worthwhile visit. However, when I was there, I was really surprised to be approached by several people who had not only heard of Caerphilly, but who spoke about the town and its people with great warmth. This is because many people in Serbia are truly appreciative of the practical assistance they received through the ‘Blazing to Serbia’ project. This was a project organised by the South Wales Fire and Rescue Service a few years ago. The guiding light behind the project was Steve Logan, the former station commander at Caerphilly Fire Station.
Over a number of years, ‘Blazing to Serbia’ donated no fewer than 27 fire engines to communities in Serbia. These communities were in desperate need of fire equipment and really welcomed receiving fire engines, which were no longer needed in South Wales. But as well as the fire engines, breathing apparatus sets, protective fire kit, helmets, gas tight chemical suits, ladders and hydraulic rescue equipment were also given. Steve Logan’s tremendous work was recognised by our Queen, when he was awarded the MBE.
The work of ‘Blazing to Serbia’ was especially valued in the city of Novi Sad, which is about 100 kilometres to the north of the capital Belgrade. Here, we met the local regional government officials, and they made a point of telling me how they really appreciated the “generosity” of the people behind ‘Blazing to Serbia’.
This appreciation was echoed by a reporter from the BBC World Service who I met at the British Embassy. She confirmed that many Serbian people valued the fire equipment and were quite overwhelmed by the generosity of people in a very different part of Europe.
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