Speaker Stefanovic thanked him for the lasting support Cyprus offers in issues of national interest for Serbia. Stefanovic also hopes that the traditionally friendly relations will, in the upcoming period, be accompanied by appropriate parliamentary relations especially between relevant committees.

Stefanovic particularly focused on the cooperation within the Council of Europe and asked for help to bring the monitoring process by the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly to a close. The National Assembly Speaker invited his Cypriot counterpart to visit Serbia, suggesting that the visit be accompanied by relevant representatives of the Cypriot Parliament.

The Cypriot people did not forget the support Yugoslavia and Serbia offered Cyprus in the difficult historic times in the 1960s and 70s, particularly in the time of the invasion of Cyprus, and, according President of Parliament Omirou, the friendship established in such occasions lasts and would continue to last particularly in these times when Serbia faces difficulties. He promised to support Serbia in the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, also stressing that Serbia would receive the same support in the European Union, particularly during the current presidency of the organisation. The President of the Cypriot Parliament was pleased to accept the invitation to Serbia, at the same time inviting the National Assembly Speaker to visit the Republic of Cyprus.

The National Assembly Speaker also met with the Speaker of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, Gianfranco Fini, who congratulated Nebojsa Stefanovic on his election to this important post. Fini was pleased to note that Rome was soon expecting a visit by the Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic. Fini noted that Italy and Serbia enjoy traditionally close relations, reminding Stefanovic that he had visited Serbia several times in the previous period.

Speaker Stefanovic thanked his counterpart for accepting the initiative to meet, deeming that the Serbian President’s visit would add a new dimension to the two countries’ relations. Stefanovic noted that the Italian Parliament is a role model for the Serbian Assembly in many aspects of parliamentary life and that the Italian Parliament’s experience would be helpful for the attempts to rebuild the Parliament’s reputation and intensify the implementation its control role especially toward the executive. The National Assembly Speaker again asked for support in the completion of the monitoring process which Italian Parliament Speaker Gianfranco Fini fully accepted, explaining his belief that without the Balkan countries and Serbia in particular, the European Union is not complete. Fini proposed that the Serbian Parliament should send a delegation at the level of secretary general and associates to Rome, to study the administrative procedures and techniques of parliamentary work which, he believes, greatly facilitate the parliamentarians’ control of the executive. On the occasion, he invited Speaker Stefanovic to visit Italy. Speaker Stefanovic was pleased to accept the invitation.

As regards the situation in Kosovo-Metohija, asking about the current state of affairs, the Parliament Speaker commented that the very name he used to refer to the area reflects his attitude toward the problem.

Speaker Stefanovic informed Mr. Fini that there is real danger of the current incidents becoming a new exodus from Kosovo-Metohija if the international and especially European public remains mute to the constant provocations, attacks and even murders aimed at striking fear in the non-Albanian population.

The National Assembly Speaker also met with the presidents of the parliaments of Tunisia and Luxembourg.

In the meeting with the President of the Tunisian Constituent National Assembly Mustafa Ben Jaafar, it was agreed to intensify parliamentary contacts between the two friendly countries after the adoption of the new Tunisian Constitution and the elections to follow. Ben Jaafar noticed the similarity in the two countries’ international position, since Serbia is struggling to win its rightful place in the family of European nations, while Tunisia struggles for a position of a democratic country after the revolution which would again, following the Arab Spring, show the right way to democracy to the other countries going through similar changes.

In the meeting with the President of the Parliament of Luxembourg, Serbia was again given support for the completion of the monitoring process by the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly. Speaker Stefanovic emphasised Luxembourg’s role in the European Union as a founding country with an enormous experience in European affairs.

Speaker Stefanovic was assured by the President of the Luxembourg Parliament Laurent Mosar that Luxembourg wishes to intensify cooperation with Serbia. Within said cooperation they agreed on reciprocal visits by relevant parliamentary delegations. Mr. Mosar proposed to begin arranging the times for the visit of the National Assembly Speaker as soon as possible.

Today, the National Assembly Speaker will continue his bilateral activities in Strasbourg by meeting with the speakers of the Turkish, Swedish, UK, Moroccan, Spanish, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Swiss parliaments.