Address by FDPM and MFA of The Republic of Serbia H.E. Ivica Dačić at The Annual Meeting of The Regional Cooperation Council Bucharest, 19 June 2014.

"Excellencies,
Dear Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

At the outset, I would like to thank our hosts for the organization of this important meeting and for their exceptional hospitality.
It is my great pleasure to be able to participate today, together with you, in the exchange of views on the current political situation and prospects in the region regarding European integration.
I believe that you will agree with me that visible results have been achieved in this respect. However, numerous challenges are still ahead of all of us.

Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to recall that regional cooperation is one of the main priorities of our foreign policy and that Serbia remains consistent and strongly committed to developing all-round relations both with its next-door neighbours and all SEE countries. Furthermore, Serbia has continuously been advocating intensification of all forms of regional cooperation, which can contribute to the stabilization of the region and its European integration and international affirmation. This is also witnessed by the fact that the first visit paid by the Prime Minister, upon the formation of the new Serbian Government, was to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
A pro-active approach by Serbia to the development of good-neighbourly relations and regional cooperation has also been recognized by the European Union, especially reflected in the decision of the European Council to open accession negotiations with Serbia, a great step towards the achievement of Serbia's strategic goal of full membership of the European Union.
There is an awareness among the citizens of Serbia that a complex and difficult period of implementing necessary reforms still lies ahead but, at the same time, I can note with satisfaction that Serbia has made great progress in many very important areas, such as the fight against corruption and organized crime and promotion of human and minority rights.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would particularly like to underline the importance of the South East European Cooperation Process and the Regional Cooperation Council, as well as their contribution to the improvement and promotion of mutual dialogue at all levels and in all areas of common interest for the region. Moreover, Serbia welcomes in particular the results achieved by the Regional Cooperation Council in the previous period, as well as the important role and engagement of its Secretary General Mr. Goran Svilanović.
Serbia highly appreciates the role played by the RCC in the promotion and implementation of project-oriented cooperation in areas of common and regional interest. I am convinced that regional cooperation, based on specific projects, is crucial for the accomplishment of economic and political priorities in the region. Furthermore, I would like to emphasize that the dynamics of regional economic cooperation, which is of crucial importance for the stability and prosperity of the Western Balkans, has been intensified following the adoption and the beginning of the implementation of the RCC Strategy and Working Programme 2014-2016 and, especially, the RCC Strategy for South Eastern Europe 2020.
Serbia supports all efforts aimed at achieving an integrated, comprehensive and sustainable economic growth in the region by 2020 and expresses its hope that the implementation of the RCC Strategy for South Eastern Europe 2020 will create fresh opportunities for interaction of regional initiatives with EU activities and will, among other things, facilitate access to the multipurpose Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) and other donors concerned.
The Strategy for South Eastern Europe 2020 indicates that the entire region must jointly face issues of crucial importance for each individual country, such as economic growth and job creation. The implementation of so important tasks is certainly not possible without mutual cooperation at the regional level, and I hope that these ambitious goals of the Strategy for South Eastern Europe 2020 will contribute to stronger ties between regional countries and to further progress towards the implementation of the tasks set out in the Strategy.
I would also like to take this opportunity to express my hope that the procedure for signing the Host Country Agreement in the framework of the Education Reform Initiative for South Eastern Europe will be completed soon and that, once the last remaining country which has not signed the Agreement does so, a new chapter of cooperation will be opened, which will be extremely important in upgrading the quality of education of our future generations in the region.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
In concluding my statement, I would like to point out that the future of regional cooperation and, consequently, the Regional Cooperation Council primarily depends on the involvement of all stakeholders in the region in deepening their cooperation at all levels, which is the only way of achieving progress and meeting the set objectives.
I would also like to underline that in the previous period, the Regional Cooperation Council was a very important and active participant in the positive developments in the region. Therefore, I reiterate that the Republic of Serbia will continue to provide strong support to the work of the RCC in the coming period.

Thank you."