Krivokapic in Serbia calls for greater parliamentary co-operation with OSCE field missions

BELGRADE, Serbia, 13 July 2013 – OSCE PA President Ranko Krivokapić spoke Thursday at a special sitting of the Serbian Parliament called in his honour by Speaker Nebojša Stefanović and hailed parliamentary support for OSCE field work at a visit Friday to the OSCE Mission in Serbia.

On the second day of his official visit to Serbia, Krivokapic met with the Delegation of Republic of Serbia to the OSCE PA and head of OSCE Mission in Serbia Peter Burkhard. Krivokapic and Burkhard discussed co-operation between OSCE PA and OSCE field missions, with a special focus on the increased involvement of members of parliament in the creation of OSCE mission activities for which the OSCE is mostly recognizable in the Western Balkan region.

During the meeting the men emphasized the need to increase communication between the delegations of national parliaments and OSCE missions in their respective countries, and to heighten visibility of the OSCE parliamentary dimension.

Krivokapić addressed MPs in his capacity as the President of the Parliament of Montenegro and President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly during an official visit to Serbia at the invitation of Speaker Stefanofic. Before the speech Krivokapić and Stefanović met to highlight the quality of co-operation between the two parliaments. They discussed the possibility of strengthening co-operation by sharing experiences related to the process of EU accession negotiations and harmonization of national legislation with European legislation.

President Krivokapić also held talks with the Prime Minister Ivica Dačić of the Serbian Government in Belgrade Thursday. It was concluded, at the meeting, that Montenegro and Serbia, besides historical togetherness, were also linked by economic cooperation, which could be additionally intensified in the coming months. The meeting emphasized the significance of joint infrastructure projects, which besides connecting two states would help make Montenegro and Serbia more attractive to foreign tourists and investors.

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 57 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.