Address before the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe by H.E. Mr. Ivica Dačić, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia

Mr. Chairman,
Mr. Secretary General,
Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great honour and pleasure for me to address the distinguished participants gathered here on the occasion of the 124th Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

I would like to use this opportunity to congratulate you, the Departing Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, on a very dynamic and successful chairmanship and to whish good fortune to my colleague Elmar Mamadiarov, who will next succeed to the Chair. In the performance of this important and demanding function you can count on our full support.

This is my first address before such a distinguished international gathering since my appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia. Just over a week ago the new Government of Serbia has been selected and it has set integration in the European Union as one of its key foreign policy goals. The Government of the Republic of Serbia is committed to contribute to the realization of this goal to the fullest extent possible in the continuation of EU accession negotiations which were opened in January this year.

We are also fully committed to continuing the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina in Brussels under the auspices of the EU and to continue to deliver on implementation of all dialogue agreements. The Government of Serbia advocates peace and stability in the region and improving the policy of good neighbourliness with a view to maintaining and further developing its stability. The majority of our efforts shall be directed towards the adoption of the European standards, comprehensive institutional reform and in the end the creation of a modern society.

Mr. Chairman,

The Council of Europe undoubtedly represents a leader in safeguarding of fundamental values- human rights, democracy and the rule of law. We are marking the 65th anniversary of the Council of Europe this year. The world has changed immensely over the years but those values still remain our focal point. Preservation and further building on these principles is today even more important than it was before taking into consideration numerous challenges with which we have been facing. Taking into account the mandate of the Council of Europe the notion is that this Organization can provide significant contribution to the process of overcoming of the mentioned contemporary challenges.

We uphold and pay particular attention to the proposal of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe in regard to the organization of the Summit dedicated to democratic security at which the new strategic concept and the new guidelines for the human rights agenda for the following period would be determined.

We also support the Report of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Mr. Thorbjorn Jagland on the state of democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Europe which comprehensively touches upon these issues and contains a set of proposals for further action. We also share a common conviction that the Organization's monitoring mechanisms represent a significant component in the implementation of the Council of Europe policy and that it is needed for them to function efficiently, along with the duplication avoidance and better coordination.

Special attention is also given to the proposal pertaining to the introduction of new monitoring mechanisms in areas in which previously this wasn't the case and we feel that in the upcoming period we should consider concrete modalities for the realization of this initiative starting on one hand from the undoubted need for a more comprehensive and dynamic engagement on behalf of the Organization but also the need for maximum resources utilization on the other hand. We deem that the reform of the monitoring mechanisms of the Council of Europe with a view to providing equal treatment to all Members of the Organization is of key importance, recognizing their individual specificities.

Mr. Chairman,

Active participation of all members in the Council of Europe policy making process is of key importance for the efficient realization of the values and standards of the Organization. This is why we think that all decisions taken by the Member states should be reached through a consensus based decision-making process.

We feel that the Council of Europe possesses instruments and capacities to contribute to the resolution of the crisis in Ukraine and we support the advisory engagement of the Organization in the area of democracy, especially in the domain of constitutional reforms, legislative reforms in the judiciary and the fight against corruption which is significant for peace and stability in this country. We applaud the engagement of the International Advisory Panel. At the same time we think that any engagement of the Organization in Ukraine should be based on the consensus of all the Member states.

Mr. Chairman,

Since our admission into the Council of Europe the Republic of Serbia has made significant progress in the adoption and application of Organization's standards in the context of human rights protection, the rule of law and democracy. We are committed to continuing our partnership cooperation with the Council of Europe on further enhancement in regard to the mentioned areas.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia is committed to continuing with the activities which have already started in the context of the judiciary reform, fight against corruption and organized crime, suppression of all forms of discrimination.

The Republic of Serbia pays special attention to the position of national minorities. We are firmly determined to continue with our engagement, in cooperation with the Council of Europe, in regard to further improvement of the position of national minorities on our territory, in line with the CoE recommendations. The Government of the Republic of Serbia will also pay special attention to the application of the Action Plan for the implementation of the Strategy for Improvement of the Status of Roma.

At the same time we expect for the rights of the members of the Serbian national minority in other countries to be fully respected in accordance with the CoE standards, including also the right to mother-tongue and alphabet.

Mr. Chairman,

In addition to the new challenges with which Europe is facing today, there is one issue which by its gravity in a continuous time span remains unchanged- the rights of the Serbian and other non-Albanian population in Kosovo and Metohija. These communities are still facing serious obstacles in the areas of security, return, freedom of movement, usage of their mother tongue, access to institutions, property rights.

Taking into consideration the seriousness of the situation in the Province, Serbia has demonstrated its constructive approach and contributed to the status-neutral engagement of the Council of Europe. We think that the Organization's activities should be continued thus enabling the efficient implementation of the principles and standards of the Council of Europe in the domain of protection of human rights, especially minority rights, the rule of law and protection of cultural heritage.

We think that the continuation of cooperation, which we fully uphold, between the Government of Serbia and the Council of Europe thus far is important for the realization of the abovementioned goals.

Thank you for your attention.