The summit of heads of state and government of the South East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) has begun on Sveti Stefan, Montenegro, on Thursday.

Serbian President Boris Tadic will take part in the summit, to be opened by Montenegrin President Filip Vujanovic, whose country chaired the SEECP for the past year.

Montenegro will hand over the rotating presidency to Serbia today.

Upon the completion of the summit, the representatives of Montenegro, Serbia and Macedonia, the country to assume the SEECP presidency after Serbia, will hold a press conference.

A large number of journalists are covering the event.

SEECP is a regional initiative started in June 1996 during a meeting of Southeast European foreign ministers in Sofia. It promotes and strengthens good relations between neighbours and is meant to help transform the region into an area of peace, security, stability and cooperation.

The initiative is made up of 12 countries: Serbia, Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Greece, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania, Slovenia and Turkey.

The most significant SEECP document is the Charter on good neighborly relations, stability, security and cooperation in South East Europe.

The political framework of the cooperation process covers the issues of security and stability, strengthening of cooperation in the area of economy and environmental protection, promoting the humanitarian, social and cultural cooperation, as well as cooperation in the area of justice, fight against organized crime, terrorism, drugs, arms and human trafficking.