Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Nikola Selakovic, in his address at the 130th Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, held today via video-link, said that the respect for the principles of the rule of law cannot be abolished in any crisis or under any circumstances.

"The measures taken by the Republic of Serbia since March this year in order to prevent the spread of the infection were proportional and necessary, and our country will continue to fight against the spread of the infection in a way that is in line with the principles of the European Convention on Human Rights", Minister Selakovic said at the conference devoted to the rule of law and respect for human rights amid the coronavirus pandemic situation.

The Minister emphasized that in this process Serbia consistently took care of the respect for minority rights as well.

The Serbian Foreign Minister pointed to the problem of violence against women, adding that the Republic of Serbia, being one of the first eight countries to ratify the Istanbul Convention, will continue to resolutely support combating this social problem.

According to Minister Selakovic, Serbia has consistently demonstrated its commitment to the principles and values of the Council of Europe as also evidenced by the fact that the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue was formed in our country.

Minister Selakovic underlined that the Republic of Serbia is committed to continuous cooperation with the European Court of Human Rights, and that it managed to execute the most complex judgments of the ECHR.

"Let me remind you that the Republic of Serbia supports every engagement of the Council of Europe in Kosovo and Metohija aimed at promoting standards in the fields of human rights, rule of law and democracy, carried out pursuant to the status-neutral policy of the Council of Europe", the Minister underlined.

On this occasion, the Serbian Foreign Minister extended his most sincere condolences to the families of the innocent victims and the citizens of Austria, in the wake of the Vienna terrorist attack.