In the course of the meeting, the officials discussed the position of Roma in Serbia and Croatia, as well as the role the two parliaments play in furthering the ethnic minority’s position in both countries.
MP Srdjan Sajn briefed the guest on the initiative to create an interparliamentary group of Roma as part of project Best Practice Examples of the Roma Integration Process, realised with the support of the OSCE Mission to Serbia.
The representative of the Croatian Parliament, Veljko Kajtazi, said that on 25 May 2012 the Croatian Parliament had passed the Decision Declaring 5 November – World Roma Language Day, stressing that on this occasion he has also sent to the National Assembly Speaker the Charter and Declaration of World Roma Language Day in invitation for the National Assembly to join the acknowledgement of World Roma Language Day. Kajtazi also said that Croatia had taken over the presidency of the Decade of Roma and briefed his hosts on the activities planned for the presidency period.
In the course of the discussion, the officials also spoke of the measures the two countries are implementing to promote Roma integration and agreed that support of education and employment, especially of the younger Roma population, would be particularly significant. Kajtazi stated that the Zagreb Faculty of Philosophy had established a Roma Language lectorate last year.
The officials also exchanged opinions on the economic situation in Serbia and Croatia, as well as the importance of regional cooperation in the field, which could be aided by interparliamentary cooperation, particularly at the level of friendship groups at the Serbian and Croatian parliaments.
Veljko Kajtazi is the representative of the Austrian, German, Polish, Roma, Romanian, Ruthenian, Russian, Turkish, Ukrainian, Vlach and Jewish ethnic minority at the Croatian Parliament.