Serbia's Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said at the opening of a meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) held in Belgrade on Wednesday he was convinced the meeting would help achieve better security in OSCE member countries.

Cvetkovic stated that Serbia was committed to OSCE principles, values and standards and that he considered the organization as Serbia's strategic partner in facing new threats and challenges.

Commenting on Serbia's EU integration, Cvetkovic stressed the OSCE's significance for the Serbian people in terms of economic prosperity and achievement of EU values.

"Serbia has made great progress in EU integration, especially in terms of reforms, and it is of utmost importance to us to get the status of a candidate for EU membership and the start date for the accession talks by the end of the year," he remarked.

The government is determined to help improve cooperation, renew trust in the region and work to find solutions to open issues, Cvetkovic asserted.

Certain problems can be resolved best by taking a regional approach, which is where the OSCE and its missions come in, he believes.

Serbia will continue supporting the OSCE in its work and will be even more active in the future, Cvetkovic underlined.

A partnership in fighting international terrorism, organized crime and human trafficking is very important, he noted. The prime minister also called for cooperation concerning safe energy and climate change.