On the occasion, Ambassador Nedopas invited the Serbian Parliament Speaker to visit Ukraine at a date that would be chosen subsequently. Ambassador Nedopas reminded that the two countries’ parliaments signed a cooperation agreement in 2012, suggesting that its realisation should be planned for 2013 and 2014, with a special focus on the exchange of delegations, constant exchange of opinions of relevant assembly committees on different issues of mutual importance, as well as cooperation between friendship groups.
Ukraine is to have parliamentary elections in late October, so Ambassador Nedopas briefed the Serbian Assembly Speaker on the preparations and the pre-election campaign i.e. the invitation issued to heads of state and government to take part in the international organisations’ observation missions. According to him, Serbia will have two observers in the OSCE Mission.
Ambassador Nedopas concluded that the parliaments’ close cooperation in key international organisations should be continued.
National Assembly Speaker Nebojsa Stefanovic agreed with the sentiment, stressing that interparliamentary diplomacy often gives better results than regular diplomatic contacts as it is characterised primarily by the advantage of direct contact and easier communication and deeming that aspect of communication very important for the Serbian side. Speaker Stefanovic was happy to accept the invitation to visit Ukraine and assured his guest that the Parliament would immediately start the realisation of the existing agreement, deeming that assembly committees should be the basis of cooperation in relevant spheres of common interest. The Serbian National Assembly is interested in all types of cooperation with the Ukrainian Parliament, concluded Stefanovic. As regards the parliamentary elections, the National Assembly Speaker is sure that they will be conducted in a democratic atmosphere and wished the participants luck.