Serbia has never before in history had such a high level of freedom and democracy as today, Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said Wednesday, adding that the greater openness of the media was a sign Serbia was changing for the better.

Opening a forum in Belgrade of the South East Europe Media Organisation (SEEMO), a non-governmental, non-profit network of editors, media executives and journalists from the SEE region, Cvetkovic said that censure of the media was no longer tolerated in Serbia.

“The dark times when the leading party controlled the media are now a thing of the past. There is no more any such thing, which makes me highly confident that as a country, we are changing for the better,” said Cvetkovic, adding that media themselves play an important role in that regard.

The prime minister recalled the adoption of an important document relevant to the issue - the Strategy for the Development of the Public Information System in Serbia until 2016.

The strategy, said Cvetkovic, is based on the relevant standards and regulations of the democratic world and it protects the public interest of the citizens, their right to be informed at all times of various events in the country and in the world.