The Chairman of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Predrag Markovic, yesterday announced Belgrade’s bid for the seat of the Regional Parliamentary Co-operation Centre of the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe.

In a letter sent to the Pact’s Special Co-ordinator, Erhard Busek, Mr Markovic underlined that Belgrade, as South-Eastern Europe’s fastest developing capital, had all the attributes necessary to become the seat of the Pact, in addition to already being the region’s administrative, commercial and cultural centre. The National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, and especially its Foreign Affairs Sector and its working body, the European Integrations Division, have both the possibilities and the capacity to provide expert and logistical assistance to the Pact’s secretariat, which aims at fostering inter-parliamentary co-operation.

Taking into account the priorities of Serbia’s foreign policy, and its interest in improving co-operation with regional parliaments on the road to European integrations, Belgrade’s bid to host the Pact’s Secretariat is another expression of the commitment of Serbia’s institutions to further developing parliamentarianism and parliamentary and international co-operation, and maintaining stability in the region.