OSCE PA Special Representative on Border Co-operation visits Serbia-Hungary border

COPENHAGEN, 20 March 2014 – The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's Special Representative on Border Co-operation, Ignacio Sanchez Amor (MP, Spain), has completed a study visit to the Serbian-Hungarian border.

Sanchez Amor traveled on 16 March to Vojvodina, an autonomous province in northern Serbia that borders Hungary, to inspect border crossings and discuss border-related issues with local stakeholders. He emphasized the importance of good border co-operation for the communities on both sides.

At Horgos, a bustling border crossing on the highway between Belgrade and Bucharest, and at the rural Kelebija border crossing, the Special Representative met with local officials and police officers to observe the use of mobile scanning units for heavy trucks and other logistical procedures.

Sanchez Amor's visit to the area also featured a meeting with Isztvan Pasztor, the President of the Parliament of Vojvodina and leader of the Hungarian minority, for discussions on the political role of Hungarians in the province and the overlap between inter-ethnic and border issues.

The Special Representative also met with Jene Maglai, the mayor of the Vojvodina city of Subotica, to discuss the dynamics of border co-operation projects underway.

During his time in Serbia, Sanchez Amor was also briefed by Professor Vladimir Bilandzic, Special Advisor on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures at the OSCE Mission in Serbia.

The Special Representative is mandated to promote co-operation in and among border regions in the OSCE area and to raise awareness regarding border-related issues. He reports on his visits to the Standing Committee of the OSCE PA.

Sanchez Amor is also a member of the Spanish Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee and serves as Deputy Head of the Spanish Delegation to the OSCE PA.

This is a press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly. The views expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect those of the OSCE Chairmanship, nor of all OSCE participating States.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is comprised of 323 parliamentarians from 56 countries spanning, Europe, Central Asia and North America. The Assembly provides a forum for parliamentary diplomacy, monitors elections, and strengthens international cooperation to uphold commitments on political, security, economic, environmental and human rights issues.