This was the second in a series of meetings aimed toward the establishment of an umbrella organisation of Serbs in the diaspora the chief objective of which would be championing common interests, primarily preservation of national identity, language and the Cyrillic script, and culture.

Kostic informed Damnjanovic about the establishment of the National Council of Serbs in Slovenia saying that their experience could be invaluable for the establishment of a similar alliance in Austria, which Jadranka Jovanovic agreed with stressing that Serbs in Slovenia have managed to overcome all differences and obstacles through reconciliation.

Kostic informed Damnjanovic about the coming sitting of the Committee on the Diaspora and Serbs in the Region, to be attended by Serb MPs form Slovenia, Hungary, Macedonia and Romania, which will give them all the opportunity to exchange interparliamentary experiences.

Speaking of the importance of fostering active ties between the mother country and the diaspora, Damnjanovic stated that the Committee could lend the entire process a degree of gravitas so he invited the Committee Chairman and members to come to Vienna and have a meeting with representatives of Serb organisations in Austria to learn first-hand about the needs and problems of the Serb community in Austria.

The Committee Chairman agreed and added that the proposed delegation should also include members of the Serbian Prime Minister’s Cabinet and Foreign Ministry. Committee Chairman Aleksandar Cotric proposed, and everybody agreed, that the meeting should take place in late January of the coming year, around St. Sava’s Day celebration.

Miodrag Linta said it is very important to send a clear message to the diaspora that the mother country wants to foster closer cooperation and the priority would be to determine a common interest to draw all the organisations together.