The Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, Prof. Dr Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic is in official visit to Ljubljana at the invitation of her counterpart, Slovenian National Assembly Speaker Pavel Gantar. In addition to the NARS Speaker, NARS Deputy Speaker and President of the Friendship Group with Slovenia Nikola Novakovic, is also taking part in the meetings with Slovenian officials.

Gantar’s visit to Belgrade in October 2009 and the two Speakers’ successful and meaningful meeting, created the right conditions to intensify parliamentary cooperation. Djukic-Dejanovic and Gantar agreed that parliamentary cooperation opens the door to improve the relations between Serbia and Slovenia, but that it is necessary to ensure more frequent contacts on the level of committees and friendship groups. European integration and foreign affairs committees should play a special role in the process, as well as the Committee on International Economic Relations.

The Speaker informed Gantar on the NARS’s legislative activities and efforts to harmonise as many laws as possible related to Serbia’s meeting its EU pre-accession obligations.

Djukic-Dejanovic thanked Slovenia for its support of the “open door” policy for the acceptance of Western Balkan countries into the EU and in that context for Slovenia’s support of Serbia’s progress towards full-fledged EU membership.

Regarding Slovenia’s interest in speeding up the resolution process of the succession issue, Gantar stressed that the issues would be resolved and to no one’s detriment. Djukic-Dejanovic assured Gantar that there are commissions working on it, but she agreed that the dynamics could be quicker. Even though we are aware of the position that the status of minorities is a constitutional category, we applaud the Government’s decision to create a council for cooperation with non-recognised constitutional minorities thus improving the status of Serbs in Slovenia. On this issue Gantar stated: “I agree that an institutionalised approach to the resolution of this issue should be found which will resolve both individual and collective interests”.

At the press conference Gantar stated that Slovenia will continue to support Serbia on its way to full European Union membership adding that Slovenia launched the initiative to invite Serbia as an observer to the Kozak conference so as to allow in insight into the process of adopting laws in the European Union.

The Serbian delegation also had comprehensive meetings with parliamentary group heads who noted that the elected representatives of the citizens are the ones who can best contribute to the further development of political and economic relations and agreed to meet more often.

Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia Nikola Novakovic thanked the Slovenian National Assembly deputies and support services for their useful advice in the drafting of the NARS Rules of Procedure and Law on the NARS which is a good example of parliamentary cooperation.