The delegation, with the status of observer, comprised Milovan Drecun, Head of the standing delegation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia to CSTO PA, Jovan Palalic and Zoran Radojicic, members of the standing delegation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia to CSTO PA.

The session of the CSTO PA Permanent Committee on Political Issues and International Cooperation focused on the ratification of international treaties signed within the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, the results of the international observation of the parliamentary elections in Armenia on 2 April 2017 and on ensuring the economic security of the CSTO member states. Jovan Palalic, member of the CSTO PA Permanent Committee on Political Issues and International Cooperation, addressed the session to thank the CSTO member states for their support of Serbia’s territorial integrity as regards Kosovo-Metohija. “We believe it especially important today to observe the basic tenets of international law especially in the Balkans where certain presidents, the Albanian in particular, call for a change in the borers and threaten with the creation of so-called Greater Albania which is a threat for the whole region”, said Palalic, drawing attention to the dangerous plan of creating the so-called Kosovo Army which would comprise separatists and terrorists. “Serbia is the only state in the region that has preserved its stability. A great many Balkan states suffer from internal conflicts which lead to divided societies and weak governments. The state’s chief goal is to maintain stability so as to ensure economic growth and new investment”, he said, stressing that Serbia stays committed to its military neutrality and does not wish to belong to any military alliance, but does hope for a stronger and more varied cooperation with CSTO in all areas of common interest.

The members of the CSTO PA Permanent Committee on Defence and Security elected a Chairman and Deputy Chairman. The participants reviewed a series of draft recommendations, amendments and modifications to the CSTO PA 2016-2020 activity programme of outreach and harmonization of CSTO member states’ national legislation, and the participation in the international roundtable “Role of parliaments in ensuring legislative cooperation and regional security in Central Asia” and 25 May 2017 in Astana, Kazakhstan.

The members of the CSTO PA Permanent Committee on Socio-Economic and Legal Affairs elected a new Deputy Chairman. The Committee members reviewed a number of draft laws and recommendations, and the funding of activities of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation.

The parliamentarians visited the museum “Way of Life” dedicated to the siege of Leningrad, 8 September 1941 – 18 January 1944, and laid flowers on the memorial “Broken Ring”.