Political representatives of Serbs in the Balkan region gathered in Belgrade on Friday for the third conference 'Position and Perspectives of the Serb People in the Region'.

Opening the conference that gathers representatives of Serbs from Albania, Macedonia, Romania, Slovenia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Hungary and Montenegro, Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic said that the political elite has the task to do all it can in order to ensure a life of economic prosperity without inter-ethnic conflicts for this and the coming generations.

He underscored that after the turbulent past marked by frequent inter-ethnic conflicts, the time has come for all conflicting issues to be resolved through a dialogue.

The perspectives of Serbs in the region can be safe only if we all take the path of peace together and establish European standards of equality and open and round off the reconciliation process. Serbia has the role of a stability factor and the region's development engine, and Serbs living in regional countries constitute an important part of this process in Serbia, Cvetkovic said.

He underscored that Serbia is trying to preserve the authenticity, variety and cultural and historical heritage of its nation in the region in a way which is in keeping with EU's best standards.

Cvetkovic noted that the importance of the issue entails the need for foreign ministries, ministries of culture, education and ministries of economy to get involved in the search for a solution to the problem of Serbs in regional countries.

The prime minister expressed the expectation that the process of closing, signing and ratification of the agreement on ethnic rights and the agreement on scientific, technical, cultural and educational cooperation with countries with which Serbia has not signed such documents yet would be accelerated as soon as possible.

Serbian Minister of Religion and Diaspora Srdjan Sreckovic pointed out that Serbia is aware of its responsibility for the stability of the Balkans as the largest and most populous country in the region, which is why it is trying to act as the main promoter of the policy of good neighbourly relations and regional cooperation.

In this sense, maintaining best possible political and economic relations with all neighbours is of strategic importance for us, Sreckovic stated and added that Serbia is supporting regional standardisation and harmonisation not just for the judiciary which regulates the position of ethnicities, but also for the full implementation of the standards in practice.

The minister recalled that Serbia has won best marks from relevant international institutions for its policy on ethnic minorities and therefore expects regional countries to implement the same principles in their treatment of the Serb community.

Sreckovic pointed out that as a democratic country, Serbia respects the international law and sovereignty of all neighbours and defends its national interests by legitimate means by supporting Serbs in the region.