The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that at today’s meeting of the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative in Belgrade, which marked the end of Serbia’s chairmanship of the initiative, participants welcomed the progress of the Western Balkan countries in the European integration process.

The participants in the meeting examined the situation in the region and further strengthening of regional cooperation and reaffirmed the support of the initiative’s member states to the elaboration of an EU strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian region.

The meeting gathered representatives of the initiative’s member states – Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Greece, Italy, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.

The meeting was attended by representatives of other regional initiatives in the capacity of guests – of the Organisation for the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, the Central European Initiative, the Council of the Baltic Sea States, the Regional Cooperation Council and representatives of the EU.

The Belgrade Declaration was adopted at the meeting in which the European Council is urged to approve a mandate to the European Commission this year for the preparation of an EU strategy for the Adriatic-Ionian region.

A hope was also expressed that cooperation in the region will be further intensified through financial support to the projects in the field of rural development, tourism and development of small and medium-sized enterprises.

Slovenia takes over the chairmanship of the Adriatic-Ionian Initiative on 1 June 2012, reads the statement.