President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE PA) Petros Eftyhmiou said in Belgrade on Thursday that the Western Balkans has a special place within the OSCE.

“Bringing our parliamentarians to Belgrade this summer is a reminder of the special place the Western Balkans has within the OSCE. As the most active international organization in this region since the 1990s, the OSCE has long been a credible bridge among the varying parties here, so it is fitting for Serbia to host this year’s meeting as we seek ways to reinvigorate the organization,” Efthymiou stated.

The OSCE has noticed real improvement since 2008 in reforms in the Serbian parliament, the judicial system and in human rights, he noted.

Eftyhmiou and Serbian Parliament Speaker Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic signed the agreement to hold the 20th Annual Session of the OSCE PA in Belgrade July 6-10.

The Annual Session is the biggest event on the OSCE PA calendar and typically gathers about 250 parliamentarians to elect officers and vote on resolutions. The event will conclude with the adoption of the Belgrade declaration, the announcement reads.

Delegations from 20 countries have so far confirmed their attendance at the event.


OSCE sees Serbia's defence cooperation with neighbours as very important

Serbia's Defence Minister Dragan Sutanovac met Thursday with President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE PA) Petros Eftyhmiou, who stressed the importance of Serbia's defence cooperation with its neighbours.

Eftyhmiou commended the progress made in Serbia's reforms, especially those conducted by the Defence Ministry. According to the Defence Ministry website, Eftyhmiou finds defence cooperation with neighbours key for all other forms of cooperation in the region.

Sutanovac informed the OSCE PA official about the defence system reforms.

The minister stressed the recent introduction of a fully professional military and plans to assume a bigger role in UN and EU missions.