Foreign Affairs Committee Deputy Chairperson Dubravka Filipovski said she was very pleased that Serbia is the first country the newly-formed Committee visited. Filipovski said that the preservation of territorial integrity and sovereignty are Serbia’s chief foreign policy goals, as are the continuation of the accession talks with the European Union, preservation of regional stability, tighter economic ties with the countries of the world and military neutrality. She stressed that in the pursuit of these goals, Serbia is led by its national interests, using dialogue as the primary diplomatic mechanism.

The only foreign policy goal not met with Italian support is the preservation of territorial integrity, since Italy has decided to recognize the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo. However, Filipovski noted that Italy has lately been strongly supporting the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and opposes the push to form special armed forces in Kosovo-Metohija. Filipovski voiced her concern about Pristina’s decision to impose a 100% customs tax on goods from other parts of Serbia which, she believes, can lead to a humanitarian disaster. She thanked Italy for its support for the establishment of the Commission to Investigate the Consequences of the NATO 1999 Bombing on the Health of the Citizens of Serbia, as well as the Environment, with a Special Focus on the Impact of the Depleted Uranium Projectiles, all the humanitarians who had helped the families in Kosovo-Metohija and for Italy’s rising support of Serbia’s efforts to harmonize national legislation with the EU acquis. Finally, Filipovski said she hoped this visit would help intensify parliamentary cooperation and initiate regular trilateral meetings between Serbia, Italy and Albania.

The President of the Committee on Foreign and European Community Affairs of the Italian Chamber of Deputies Marta Grande thanked the MPs for the welcome, stressing that it was no coincidence that Serbia was chosen as the first country of call for the newly-formed Committee. In the meeting with the Serbian state leaders they gained comprehensive insight into the country’s wish and efforts to overcome all the hurdles and challenges on its path to the European Union. Grande said that she is aware of the new customs tax on the territory of Kosovo-Metohija, adding that she was pleased with the way the Serbian Government and President handled the critical situation, stressing that the issue does not concern only Belgrade and Pristina but the entire European community.

She went on to speak in support of deepening and avancing parliamentary cooperation, stressing that next year’s 140th anniversary of diplomatic relations and 10th anniversary of the strategic partnership between the two states are reason enough to work on strengthening cooperation between the two parliaments.

Committee members Dragan Sormaz, Dr Sanda Raskovic Ivic, Dusica Stojkovic, Jelena Vujic Obradovic, Ljiljana Malusic and Jovan Palalic spoke about the importance of interparliamentary dialogue, preservation of the cultural heritage on the territory of Kosovo-Metohija, UNSC Resolution 1244 and the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina.