Ambassador Terzic outlined the main tasks of his mission to the Russian Federation to the Committee members and stated that fostering the excellent political, cultural and spiritual relations between Serbia and Russia is of paramount importance for Serbia and the Serbian people. The Ambassador stressed that Russia has always supported Serbia in international organisations emphasising Russia’s consistent and clear support of preserving Serbia’s territorial integrity. There is ample room to improve economic cooperation, as well as cooperation in the field of culture, science and education between Serbia and Russia, said Ambassador Terzic, adding that Russia is one of Serbia’s most important foreign trade partners.
Ambassador Terzic informed the Committee members that he would also be covering Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan on a non-residential basis.
The Committee members accepted the activity programme presented by the new Ambassador and wished him success.
The Committee went on to consider and accept, in principle, the Bill on the Confirmation of the Agreement between the Republic of Serbia and the Republic of Argentina on the employment of family members of the diplomatic, consular, administrative and technical staff of diplomatic and consular representative offices.
The Committee also considered several issues related to the National Assembly’s parliamentary cooperation in the upcoming period. The Committee consented to the participation and address of the Chairman of the Committee on the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region, Aleksandar Cotric, and Committee member Milorad Stosic in the celebration of St. Sava’s Day, state and national holiday of Serbs in Macedonia, on 27 January 2013, to take place in Skopje, Macedonia, on 27 and 28 January 2013, then to the participation of the delegation of the Committee on Constitutional and Legislative Issues at the International Regulatory Reform Conference, to be held in Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany, on 31 January and 1 February 2013 and the visit of a delegation of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s Political Committee’s Sub-Committee on Democratic Governance to the Republic of Serbia, which should be realised in March or April 2013.
As part of the regular activities of the National Assembly’s standing delegations, the Committee accepted the invitations to send representatives to the meeting of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Bureau and meeting of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, to be held on 7 March 2013, in Paris. Assembly representatives will also take part in the meeting of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Standing Committee (8 March) and the meeting of the Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media (11 March) in Paris. Meetings of the Parliamentarian’s Network to Stop Sexual Violence Against Children and Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development in Berlin, on 14 and 15 March, as well as meetings of the Council of Europe PA Committee on Equality and Non-Discrimination (15 March), on Rules of Procedure, Immunities and Institutional Affairs (18 March), on Legal Affairs and Human Rights (19 March), Monitoring Committee (20 March) and the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Displaced Persons (26 March) in Paris, will also be realised as part of regular activities.
The Committee went on to accept reports on the visits and contacts realised by the MPs in the previous period.

The sitting was chaired by Milos Aligrudic, Committee Chairman.