Vice President of the Minorities Deputy Group, Bajram Omeragic received the representative of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, Monica Eger and her associate Prof. Bozidar Jaksic. They talked about future cooperation between Serbia and Switzerland on minority rights protection.

Monica Eger stressed that the goal of her visit to Serbia is to become closely acquainted with the position of minorities, since, as a bilateral donor, Switzerland is preparing a strategy of cooperation with Serbia on this issue for the 2010 – 2013 period. She stated that the document will particularly focus on the undeveloped areas populated by Albanian, Bosniak and Roma ethnic minorities, above all in the Raska region in the south of Serbia. Therefore, recognising the strategic needs and priorities of said populations is of great importance for further cooperation between Serbia and this Swiss state institution.

On the behalf of the Minorities Deputy Group at the National Assembly, Bajram Omeragic stressed that significant progress had been made on improving the position of ethnic minorities and protection of their rights in the previous period, which was aided by the formation of the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights in the Serbian Government. A Law on the National Minorities Council which would coordinate the activities of the councils of all ethnic minorities in Serbia is expected to be passed.

According to the deputy, significant improvements have been made concerning the inclusion of ethnic minorities in state institutions, however not in all of them yet, for example diplomacy, judiciary and police.

In 2007 the Government passed the Strategy of balanced regional development, aiming to help speed up economic development of the underdeveloped parts of Serbia, southern Serbia and Raska region among them. Economic and social development, as well as better education, will contribute to the improvement of the position of ethnic minorities, and help them overcome the problems they face more quickly.

Concerning it, Bajram Omeragic stressed the importance of Serbia’s speedier accession to the European Union.