At the invitation of Suzana Grubjesic, head of the National Assembly’s Permanent Representation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA), a delegation of the French OSCE PA representation is visiting Serbia from 5 to 7 December. The French delegation is headed by Michel Voisin, chief of delegation and vice-chairman of the French Parliament’s Committee on National Defence and the Armed Forces.
On 5 December, Assembly House was the venue for a meeting between the French delegation and members of the National Assembly’s OSCE PA Permanent Representation.

The start of the meeting was attended by the Chairman of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Predrag Markovic. Welcoming the visitors, Mr Markovic emphasised the importance of co-operation between the two countries’ delegations at OSCE PA and other international organisations, as well as the necessity of improving general co-operation between the two parliaments. He especially stressed the fact that the adoption of Serbia’s new Constitution provided conditions for a strengthening of the parliament’s oversight functions, particularly in the field of security, as well as that further capacity-building was needed to fully realise these constitutional obligations.

The head of the Serbian delegation, Suzana Grubjesic, reiterated that 2006 was marked by the adoption of the new Constitution, which ‘opened a new phase in the social and political life of the nation.’ Campaigning is currently under way in parliamentary elections, which are to provide ‘an additional impetus to general democratisation in Serbia,’ she added. Citing positive assessments made by the European Commission of the progress made by Serbia in strengthening the economy and institutions, she underlined that this was ‘a confirmation of readiness to resume stabilisation and association negotiations with the European Union.’ According to Ms Grubjesic, Serbia’s entry into the Partnership for Peace programme was ‘proof that Europe supports democratic forces in our country.’ She expressed her expectation that a new government, to be formed after January’s elections, would successfully resolve the issues of co-operation with the Hague Tribunal and the future status of Kosovo.

M Voisin hailed Serbia’s entry into the Partnership for Peace programme, saying he was convinced it would positively reflect on the stability, security, and economic progress of Serbia and the entire region. He added that progress had been made in co-operation with the Hague Tribunal, as well as that the issue of Kosovo and Metohia was an ‘internal matter’ for Serbia, while a resolution of this problem would contribute to the stability of the entire region.