The delegation, with the status of observer, comprised Milovan Drecun, Head of the standing delegation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia to CSTO PA, Jovan Palalic, Dusan Bajatovic and Zoran Radojicic, members of the standing delegation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia to CSTO PA.

At the session of the CSTO PA Permanent Committee on Political Issues and International Cooperation, held at the Parliamentary Centre, the participants considered a number of organisational issues and elected a new chairman and deputy chairman.

Milovan Drecun, as the Head of the National Assembly standing delegation to CSTO PA, addressed the participants of the session of the CSTO PA Permanent Committee for Political Issues and International Cooperation. “We do not want to be in the line of fire of the geopolitical conflict of big countries. We want to be on the line of cooperation and partnership, but we are under enormous pressure to choose a side. We believe that choosing sides is outmoded because it creates a strong multipolar international order headed by, for example, Russia and China”, he said. Drecun said that we will not step back and that we firmly remain military neutral. He also underlined that we are not even thinking of instating sanctions against the Russian Federation. According to him, the political situation in Serbia is stable, Serbia is an excellent place for investments and economic cooperation in general, we have good laws, low tax rates. Finally, the Head of the Serbia delegation concluded that Serbia would never recognise Kosovo as a state and in that expects the support of its friends.

Speaking at the session of the CSTO PA Permanent Committee on Political Issues and International Cooperation, Jovan Palalic, member of the Permanent Committee, thanked the assembled for the opportunity to address his fellow parliamentarians from friendly countries. “Serbia is thankful to the CSTO member states, especially the Russian Federation, for their support on the Kosovo-Metohija issue. We believe the new geopolitical circumstances would help strengthen the consistent application of international law and respect for the territorial integrity of states”, opined Palalic stressing “Abiding by international law is in Serbia’s interest, its violation lead to it being bombed and certain states recognising the illegitimately declared independence of Kosovo.”

The session of the CSTO PA Permanent Committee on Socio-Economic and Legal Affairs, held at the Parliamentary Centre, was attended by Zoran Radojicic, member of the CSTO PA Permanent Committee on Socio-Economic and Legal Affairs. The Committee members elected a new chairman and deputy chairman. The parliamentarians were briefed on a number of draft laws, agreements, recommendations. They also considered the issue of funding CSTO PA activities and the CSTO PA 2017 Draft Activity Plan.

The members of the standing delegation of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia to CSTO PA also took part in the ninth plenary session of the CSTO PA at the Tauride Palace. The agenda comprised issues of organisational, legislative and normative character. At the proposal of the CSTO PA Council, the Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Vyacheslav Viktorovich Volodin was unanimously elected Chairman of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly. “Today, the Parliamentary Assembly is faced with new challenges. Security in today’s world calls for decision- making. We have to do everything we can to efficiently organise the security in our countries”, said Volodin. He emphasised the importance of developing alliances among the SCTO member states and to strengthen the CSTO relations with the UN, OSCE, SCO, CIS, and other international organisations.

Anatoly Borisovich Vyborny, Deputy Chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee for Security and Anti-Corruption and Chairman of the CSTO PA Permanent Committee on Defence and Security, addressed the participants of the plenary session opining that the harmonisation of the national legislation of the CSTO member states would enable them to efficiently oppose contemporary challenges and threats to collective security.

The session of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly was attended by the parliamentary delegations of the six CSTO member states – Republic of Belarus, Republic of Armenia, Republic of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Russian Federation and the Republic of Tajikistan. The delegations of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Russia and Belarus, National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia and the lower house of the National Assembly of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan attended the session as observers. The delegations of the People’s Republic of China, Islamic Republic of Iran, Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Republic of Cuba were guests of the session, with the parliamentarians of the Republic of India attended as guests for the first time.