First Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic had today a series of bilateral meetings on the margins of the 22nd OSCE Ministerial Council. Minister Dacic met with the Foreign Ministers of Canada, Sweden, Ukraine, as well as with the Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan.

Minister Dacic met Canadian Foreign Minister The Honourable Stephane Dion. The Serbian Foreign Minister congratulated his Canadian counterpart on his appointment to the office and wished the new Canadian government every success in its work. During the talks they also touched on the prospects of bilateral relations, where both sides expressed willingness to strengthen political dialogue and cooperation in all fields of mutual interest. Canada's Foreign Minister expressed satisfaction with the opportunity to participate in the 22nd OSCE Ministerial Council in Belgrade.

During the meeting with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Sweden Margot Wallstrom it was stressed that bilateral relations were good and that there was room for improvement in all areas. The Swedish Minister praised Serbia's Chairmanship of the OSCE and reiterated the strong support of Sweden to the European integration of Serbia. They also discussed the problem of migration and the need to find appropriate solutions at the European level. Minister Dacic presented our experience in dealing with this issue and the cooperation with the neighbours in this regard.

Discussions with the Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan focused on the opportunities for reviving cooperation between the two countries and mutual interest was expressed in holding political consultations between the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs to define areas of possible cooperation. The Afghan side showed special interest for educational cooperation. Deputy Foreign Minister of Afghanistan, Karzai thanked Minister Dacic for the hospitality and praised the Serbian OSCE Chairmanship.

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic had a brief meeting with Minister of State at the UK Foreign Office responsible for Europe David Lidington, who praised Serbia's OSCE Chairmanship in the conditions of serious challenges. The two Ministers expressed hope for a positive outcome of the OSCE Ministerial Council.

During the meeting between First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Pavel Klimkin, the Ukrainian Minister expressed satisfaction with the way the Serbian OSCE Chairmanship responded to the crisis in Ukraine. The two Ministers jointly emphasized the need to invest additional efforts to improve bilateral relations between the two close and friendly countries. Minister Klimkin announced that he would make a visit to Serbia next year.