The Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Prof. Dr Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic received a delegation of the Croatian Friendship Group with Serbia headed by its President Neven Mimica.

Friendship groups have made considerable progress both in speeding up our way to the European Union and creating a better atmosphere in the relations between the two countries, stressed the NARS Speaker. The officials agreed that the both parliaments’ friendship groups aim to maintain parliamentary dialogue and strengthen the cooperation between the two countries achieved, primarily, thanks to the efforts of their respective presidents, Boris Tadic and Ivo Josipovic, to raise the level of trust between the two states and thus contribute to their common European interest.

Mimica pointed out that the strengthening of good-neighbourly relations and trust is the result of bilateral cooperation, regional stability and a European future which all made it possible for Serbia and Croatia to jointly enter a better phase, one of “European partnership”.

Djukic-Dejanovic stressed that the National Assembly deputies, along with the deputies of the Croatian Sabor, can exchange experiences in the field of European integration thus gaining insight into all the steps Croatia had taken before Serbia towards full-fledged European Union membership.

Croatian deputy Boris Kunst suggested to the NARS Speaker to initiate an improvement of cooperation between the NARS and Croatian parliamentary committees aimed at exchanging experiences in the committees’ respective fields, which the Speaker accepted.

Both parliaments’ representatives of the Croatian and Serbian communities stated that progress has been achieved regarding the status of ethnic minorities in their respective states, adding that both parliaments can greatly influence a speedier resolution of all existing issues and problems.

The NARS Speaker again invited the Croatian Parliament Speaker Luka Bebic to visit Serbia in 2011.