The Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia Prof. Dr Slavica Djukic-Dejanovic received today the representatives of the Roma Ethnic Minority National Council: Vitomir Mihajlovic, Council President and deputy at the republic parliament, Sofka Vasiljkovic, Council Vice-President, Amet Arifi, Council Vice-President, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Executive Committee Vice-President and Tane Kurtic, Secretary General.

On the occasion of 8 April, International Roma Day, Djukic-Dejanovic congratulated the representatives of Roma Ethnic Minority National Council and all Serbian citizens of Roma ethnicity on the holiday.

“Today, as we face the economic crisis and high degree of poverty, I am sure the position of the Roma in Serbia is still difficult. We must do all in our power to eliminate all prejudice in education, employment, health care and housing problems, because a country that takes care of the position of all its ethnic minorities is a country that demonstrates no discrimination on these grounds”, stressed the Assembly Speaker.

The representatives of Roma Ethnic Minority National Council informed the Assembly Speaker of the preparations for the election of Council members to be held on 6 June this year. They also informed her of the problems that the Roma face in local communities such as Bujanovac, Uzice and Leskovac. The NARS Speaker emphasised that full social integration of the Roma was the only solution, to which she would contribute.