The ceremony was opened by Franco Dal Mas, Secretary General, Central European Initiative, followed by keynote addresses of the Italian and Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani, President of the Italian Senate’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee Stefania Craxi, Head of Italian Delegation to the CEI Parliamentary Dimension Salvatore Caiata, President of the Friuli Venezia Giulia Autonomous Region Massimiliano Fedriga, President of the Institute of International Affairs Michele Valensise and the Mayor of Trieste Roberto Dipiazza. In their speeches, they recalled the most significant results of the work of the CEI Secretariat since its establishment to date, pointing to over 300 implemented projects that helped strengthen regional cooperation and share knowledge related to strengthening administrative capacities, infrastructure connectivity and economic potential.

What was of particular importance was the call by the President of the Italian Senate’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee Stefania Craxi to stop the persecution of Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija and to prevent their further emigration, as well as to protect Christian culture and spirituality in Kosovo-Metohija, as recently stated by Patriarch Porfirije in a letter he sent to leading international actors, including the Holy See. The Head of Italian Delegation to the CEI Parliamentary Dimension Salvatore Caiata welcomed the initiative of the President of the Republic of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic and the Prime Minister of Albania Edi Rama concerning the accelerated accession of the countries of the region to the European Union, the single market and Schengen, without a veto. Mr. Caiata appealed to all present to support this excellent and feasible proposal.

In the ministerial panel that followed, in addition to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia, Marko Djuric, the foreign ministers of Romania, which currently holds the CEI presidency, Slovenia, Croatia, Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina, took part, as well as the deputy foreign ministers of Ukraine and Slovakia.

During the visit to Trieste, the parliamentary delegation had meetings with Lidija Radovanovic from the Association of Serbs in Italy and several Serbian cultural and sports associations from Trieste and Udine, as well as with the president and member of the Board of the Serbian Orthodox Church Municipality in Trieste, Zlatimir Selakovic and Sergej Ninkovic.