Greeting the participants, Sajn said he hoped that the activities of the organisation would draw the Roma ethnic minority, as socially most vulnerable, out of the problems it faces. This is a new mechanism for the use of the democratic capacities of the Roma MPs serving in national parliaments, as well as the members of different political options, aimed at improving the situation of Roma, said Sajn.
Commending the foundation of the Interparliamentary Organisation of Roma, the President of the Republic of Serbia, Tomislav Nikolic stressed that the Roma population is an integral part of the Serbian society and national being and enjoys all the rights of a civilized democratic society. He stressed that the Republic of Serbia is dedicated to improving the lives of all of its citizens regardless of their nationality, religious beliefs, political or any other affiliation. President Nikolic said that the Interparliamentary Organisation of Roma plays an important part in the achievement of the Republic of Serbia’s strategic goals.
The National Assembly Speaker, MA Nebojsa Stefanovic, said that the current legislature has passed laws which improve the status of marginal population groups, among them most notably the 2012 Budget Law which allocates additional funds for various activities aimed at Roma integration. Stefanovic also pointed out the significant support of international and non-governmental organisations to the better integration of Roma.
The participants were also addressed by Roma MPs from the national parliaments of South-East European countries who spoke of the importance of political support for the improvement of the status of Roma.
Representatives of the diplomatic corps in Serbia, Macedonian Ambassador Ljubisa Georgievski, UK Ambassador Michael Davenport, US Ambassador Michael Kirby, Swiss Ambassador Jean-Daniel Ruch and German Ambassador Heinz Wilhelm spoke of the problems of the Roma community in Serbia and activities implemented to improve its position.
On the behalf of the international organisations in Serbia, the participants were addressed by the Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia Peter Burkhard, Deputy Head of the EU delegation to Serbia Adriano Martins and UN Resident Coordinator in Serbia William Infante. They pointed out that political integration is the key challenge for the Roma community at present, hoping that the National Assembly would contribute to the process by adopting quality laws and monitoring their implementation.
The Solemn Session was concluded by the signing of a Declaration defining the goals of the Interparliamentary Organisation of Roma. The Declaration was signed by Roma MPs from five countries in the region: Serbia, Croatia, Macedonia, Slovakia and Bulgaria, while Roma MPs from Romania also took part in its drafting.