Vojvodina, Slovenian speakers meet

Vojvodina Assembly Speaker Sandor Egeresi has asked his Slovenian counterpart to see to it that Ljubljana ratifies the SAA with Serbia as soon as possible. During yesterday’s working visit to Slovenia, Egeresi spoke to his host, Slovenian Speaker Pavle Gantar. Vojvodina, Slovenian speakers meet He told a press conference at the Serbian embassy in Ljubljana that he was happy with the talks that had focused primarily on the continuation of cooperation between the Vojvodina, Serbian and Slovenian parliaments. He added that he had asked his host for Slovenia to be among the first countries to ratify the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with Serbia, once all the conditions had been met. The Vojvodina speaker also proposed to Gantar that given the good experience of the meeting of representatives from the Vojvodina, Serbian and Hungarian parliaments, Novi Sad should host a future meeting of the Vojvodina, Serbian and Slovenian parliaments. Egeresi will, therefore, propose to the Serbian parliamentary speaker that an agreement on parliamentary cooperation be signed, including an annex referring to Vojvodina’s cooperation as a Serbian province. “Serbian EU integration goes via Ljubljana, Budapest and Vienna,“ he told journalists, adding that “our neighbors are our rock and support in tackling the problems that face Serbia on her road to the EU.“ The Vojvodina speaker also discussed the Vojvodina Statute with Gantar, stating that this was one of Serbia’s key internal political issues. Ratifying the Statute was one of the tests of understanding on Serbia’s “Europeanization and democratization process“ for the republic government, Egeresi said in Ljubljana. He said that the delays in placing ratification of the Statute on the parliamentary agenda meant that not only was Serbia postponing its European future, but living in a postponed reality. “That reality can be seen as a transitional vacuum of delayed decisions,“ said the Vojvodina speaker, adding that he advocated accelerating Serbia’s EU integration, but that this would be even harder without ratification of the Vojvodina Statute. Egeresi also presented to Gantar a Consensus on Security and Stabilization in the Western Balkans, which, he said, was a necessity for political reconciliation of all the people, states and regions there. This initiative would also include regional political dialogue between Western Balkan parliamentary speakers, with the aim of defining common policies, primarily EU integration, while strengthening partnership. Special emphasis during yesterday’s talks was placed on economic cooperation between Vojvodina, Serbia and Slovenia. That cooperation was already very good, said Egeresi, reiterating that Slovenian businessmen had already invested EUR 1.2bn in Serbia, while Vojvodina had a trade surplus with Slovenia of EUR 18.8mn. The Vojvodina speaker also proposed holding a Day of Slovenian Culture in Vojvodina, with a reciprocal event to be held in Slovenia at a later date.

Vojvodina, Slovenian speakers meet

He told a press conference at the Serbian embassy in Ljubljana that he was happy with the talks that had focused primarily on the continuation of cooperation between the Vojvodina, Serbian and Slovenian parliaments.

He added that he had asked his host for Slovenia to be among the first countries to ratify the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with Serbia, once all the conditions had been met.

The Vojvodina speaker also proposed to Gantar that given the good experience of the meeting of representatives from the Vojvodina, Serbian and Hungarian parliaments, Novi Sad should host a future meeting of the Vojvodina, Serbian and Slovenian parliaments.

Egereši will, therefore, propose to the Serbian parliamentary speaker that an agreement on parliamentary cooperation be signed, including an annex referring to Vojvodina’s cooperation as a Serbian province.

“Serbian EU integration goes via Ljubljana, Budapest and Vienna,“ he told journalists, adding that “our neighbors are our rock and support in tackling the problems that face Serbia on her road to the EU.“

The Vojvodina speaker also discussed the Vojvodina Statute with Gantar, stating that this was one of Serbia’s key internal political issues.

Ratifying the Statute was one of the tests of understanding on Serbia’s “Europeanization and democratization process“ for the republic government, Egereši said in Ljubljana.

He said that the delays in placing ratification of the Statute on the parliamentary agenda meant that not only was Serbia postponing its European future, but living in a postponed reality.

“That reality can be seen as a transitional vacuum of delayed decisions,“ said the Vojvodina speaker, adding that he advocated accelerating Serbia’s EU integration, but that this would be even harder without ratification of the Vojvodina Statute.

Egereši also presented to Gantar a Consensus on Security and Stabilization in the Western Balkans, which, he said, was a necessity for political reconciliation of all the people, states and regions there.

This initiative would also include regional political dialogue between Western Balkan parliamentary speakers, with the aim of defining common policies, primarily EU integration, while strengthening partnership.

Special emphasis during yesterday’s talks was placed on economic cooperation between Vojvodina, Serbia and Slovenia.

That cooperation was already very good, said Egereši, reiterating that Slovenian businessmen had already invested EUR 1.2bn in Serbia, while Vojvodina had a trade surplus with Slovenia of EUR 18.8mn.

The Vojvodina speaker also proposed holding a Day of Slovenian Culture in Vojvodina, with a reciprocal event to be held in Slovenia at a later date.