The conference, held as part of Serbia’s chairmanship of the Adriatic Ionian Initiative from June 2011 to May 2012, was opened by the National Assembly Speaker Prof. Dr Slavica Djukic Dejanovic.
The participants were addressed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina Milorad Zivkovic, Montenegrin Parliament Speaker Ranko Krivokapic, Slovene Parliament Speaker Gregor Virant, Chairman of the Croatian Sabor’s Foreign Affairs Committee Milorad Pupovac, member of the Italian House of Representatives Roberto Antonione and Adriatic Ionian Initiative Secretary General Fabio Pigliapoco. They expressed their firm belief that the parliamentary dimension of the Adriatic Ionian Initiative would strengthen the development of regional cooperation further. They deemed that the conference, in which the participants will seek answers to contemporary challenges facing the states in the region through constructive dialogue and exchange of opinions, very important and useful for all the states of the Adriatic Ionian region. The participants also believe that interparliamentary cooperation within the Adriatic Ionian Initiative will have a positive influence on the intensification of the Western Balkan countries’ European integration processes.
National Assembly Deputy Speaker Nikola Novakovic informed the participants of the conference that the conclusion proposals of the Tenth Conference of the Speakers of the Parliaments of the Adriatic Ionian Initiative will be submitted for discussion and adoption to all the participants, deeming that this would raise the regional parliamentary cooperation on an even higher level, the one it deserves.
The conference was attended by representatives of seven countries of the Adriatic Ionian Initiative: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Greece, Croatia, Italy, Slovenia and Serbia.
The Adriatic Ionian Initiative is a regional multilateral initiative founded in 2000 in Ancona and aimed at improving regional cooperation among the countries of the Adriatic Ionian region. It comprises eight countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia.
As part of its interparliamentary cooperation it organises annual ad hoc meetings at the highest level in the country chairing the initiative. The Republic of Serbia is chairing the Adriatic Ionian Initiative in the period from June 2011 to May 2012, and on 1 June 2012, the chairmanship will be taken over by the Republic of Slovenia.