Addressing the Committee, Ambassador Ristic stressed that, in discharging the duty he is to assume, he would focus on improving the two countries’ economic cooperation. France is one of the most important countries and the second economic power in the European Union, yet it is only the 12th country on the list of foreign investors into Serbia which is why the Serbian Embassy’s work would focus on a more active approach to attracting French investors, said the future Ambassador. According to him, this is a very good moment to boost the bilateral relations between Serbia and France because of the positive reception of the Brussels Agreement in the world which should be taken advantage of. Strengthening cultural cooperation is also something that requires more attention, taking advantage of the fact that many of Serbia’s renowned artists work in Paris who can be a bridge of cooperation and help improve Serbia’s image. Ambassador Ristic agreed with the Committee members that parliamentary diplomacy is receiving more and more attention, to which end the parliamentary cooperation between Serbia and France should be further strengthened via the activities of the parliamentary friendship groups at the National Assembly and French Parliament respectively.
At the sitting, the Committee accepted the invitation to the Conference on juvenile judiciary reform - High-Level Conference on Justice for Children in Europe and Central Asia, in Brussels, on 27 and 28 June 2013, as well as the Third International Conference of Legislative Issues Committees on the Legislative Process – Role and Impact of the Institutions of Legislative Issues Committees, on 1 and 2 July 2013, in Berlin, Germany. The Committee also accepted the invitation for the visit of the Polish Parliament’s Friendship Group with Serbia to Serbia in early July 2013, as well as the invitation to take part in the meeting of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee dedicated to Croatia’s EU accession and the perspectives for the Western Balkans’ accession, on 1 July 2013, in Strasburg, France.
The Committee members went on to note the standing delegations’ regular activities in the upcoming period and, by a majority of votes, adopted the reports on visits and contacts realised.
The Committee also noted the amendments and modifications to the membership of the parliamentary friendship groups with Croatia, Israel, Slovenia, Cuba, Arab Gulf States, Luxembourg, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Turkey.
At the end of the sitting, the Committee accepted the proposal to set up a Parliamentary Friendship Group with Turkmenistan, with MP Dragomir Karic as the Head of the Parliamentary Friendship Group.