The Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia Veroljub Arsic is taking part in the 4th Summit of Speakers of Central and Eastern European Parliaments in Warsaw, dedicated to modern challenges and the 30th anniversary of political changes in Central and Eastern Europe.
Speaking of modern challenges, Deputy Speaker Arsic said that Serbia and the Central and Eastern European countries share a hope in their economic prospects and legitimizing political institutions, as well a concern about extremism and violence.
“That is why Serbia is taking its part, along with its neighbours and EU member states, the wider region and global partners, in finding an adequate solution to regional issues in the frames of EU strategies, regional initiatives and at the bilateral level”, said Arsic.
He said that the MPs’ task in the face of modern challenges has to be to set up a good and accountable administration, strengthen the democratic institutions and build the citizens’ trust in said institutions.
The National Assembly Deputy Speaker said that Kosovo-Metohija is a big challenge, adding that Serbia is concerned about Pristina’s unilateral moves and asking for support for Serbia’s efforts to maintain peace and stability by making it possible to continue the dialogue.
Speaking of the 30th anniversary of political changes in Central and Eastern Europe, Arsic said that keeping the common memory of the past alive is essential for the common future and the strengthening of mutual understanding based on universal values and a critical assessment of the past in light of communism.
The National Assembly Deputy Speaker said that Serbia is taking brave steps on the path to joining the European people, maintaining the best in its history, and added that Serbia is part of the family of democratic, peace-loving and prosperous European nations and that that is the country’s firm commitment despite all the challenges in its path.
Deputy Speaker Arsic said that, for the people of former Yugoslavia, the fall of communism was not just a return of political pluralism and capitalism, but a bloody civil war followed by NATO aggression, with the fatal and tragic consequences of the departure of one hegemony from the historical scene without its being replaced by another ideology which would guarantee peace, stability and mutual trust.
In the course of the Summit, Deputy Speaker Arsic met with the Deputy Marshal of the Polish Sejm Ryszard Terlecki to discuss strengthening interparliamentary cooperation, support for Serbia’s Euro-integration, current processes in the European Union and parliamentary support to the two countries’ overall cooperation, especially via reciprocal visits of committees and parliamentary friendship groups.
Deputy Speaker Arsic presented the current situation in Kosovo-Metohija warning of Pristina’s unilateral moves aimed against the Serbian population of Kosovo-Metohija and dialogue, stressing the Serbian side’s commitment to peace and stability and solution reached through dialogue, conditioned by Pristina’s retraction of the unilateral moves. The two sides were in agreement in view of the effort opposing the unilateral acts.
The officials stressed the readiness to strengthen interparliamentary relations in terms of support to the economic and cultural cooperation between the two countries.
In addition to the Serbian Assembly Deputy Speaker, the Summit is attended by the parliamentary speakers and deputy speakers of Belarus, Bulgaria, Estonia, Armenia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Slovenia, Turkey, Croatia and the Czech Republic, as well as representatives of the parliaments of Albania and Slovakia, and delegations of Azerbaijan, Austria, Georgia, Greece, Denmark, Romania and Ukraine.
