Serbian president to address Rio+20 UN conference

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic traveled early on Tuesday to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, it has been reported. Nikolic heads a Serbian delegation taking part in the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development - Rio+20. Serbian president to address Rio+20 UN conference At the Earth Summit, as the organizers have nicknamed the event, world leaders will talk about laying more sustainable foundations for the global economy. The Serbian delegation includes Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic and Minister of the Environment, Mining and Spatial Planning Oliver Dulic. Rio+20 is taking place between June 20 and 22, exactly two decades after the Brazilian city hosted the first Earth Summit. Over the course of the conference, heads of state and delegation leaders will address the participants at plenary sessions, with the Serbian president's speech scheduled for Friday. On Thursday, the Serbian delegation will host a panel entitled "The Green Economy: Achievements and Perspectives in the Adriatic-Ionian Region." On the sidelines of the Summit, Nikolic will meet with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, and attend receptions hosted by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. The participating nations are expected to sign an agreement dubbed The Future We Want, pledging to improve energy, food and water supply in undeveloped countries, gradually abolish fossil fuel subsidies and better protect oceans. However, the eight rounds of formal and informal preliminary talks on the draft held since the start of the year have been plagued with both substantive and procedural problems, and the media have reported that only a small section of the text has been harmonized. Many segments were rejected by the United States, as well as the block comprising China and developing countries. Russia, Japan and the EU also objected to some key clauses. Tomislav Nikolic (Tanjug, file) Nikolic and Gul to preside over summit Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic will co-chair the Summit of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) in Istanbul next Tuesday, together with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul. Nikolic will depart for Turkey when he returns from Brazil. The summit in Istanbul, scheduled for June 26, will be dedicated to BSEC's 20th anniversary, and Serbia is presiding over the organization from January 1 to July 1, when Turkey will assume the presidency. Nikolic will use his visit to Turkey for a number of bilateral meetings with Turkish officials and BSEC member countries. The BSEC was founded in Istanbul on June 25, 1992, at a summit of 11 countries (Russia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Moldova, Greece, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and Albania), and Serbia became its member in 2004. At last week's BSEC ministerial meeting, held in Belgrade, the participants voiced hope that governments will use the meeting for strengthening the organization's role as a mechanism for economic cooperation in this part of the world. Tanjug

Serbian president to address Rio+20 UN conference

At the Earth Summit, as the organizers have nicknamed the event, world leaders will talk about laying more sustainable foundations for the global economy. The Serbian delegation includes Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić and Minister of the Environment, Mining and Spatial Planning Oliver Dulić.

Rio+20 is taking place between June 20 and 22, exactly two decades after the Brazilian city hosted the first Earth Summit.

Over the course of the conference, heads of state and delegation leaders will address the participants at plenary sessions, with the Serbian president's speech scheduled for Friday.

On Thursday, the Serbian delegation will host a panel entitled "The Green Economy: Achievements and Perspectives in the Adriatic-Ionian Region."

On the sidelines of the Summit, Nikolić will meet with Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, and attend receptions hosted by Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.

The participating nations are expected to sign an agreement dubbed The Future We Want, pledging to improve energy, food and water supply in undeveloped countries, gradually abolish fossil fuel subsidies and better protect oceans.

However, the eight rounds of formal and informal preliminary talks on the draft held since the start of the year have been plagued with both substantive and procedural problems, and the media have reported that only a small section of the text has been harmonized.

Many segments were rejected by the United States, as well as the block comprising China and developing countries. Russia, Japan and the EU also objected to some key clauses.

Nikolić and Gul to preside over summit

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić will co-chair the Summit of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) in Istanbul next Tuesday, together with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul.

Nikolić will depart for Turkey when he returns from Brazil.

The summit in Istanbul, scheduled for June 26, will be dedicated to BSEC's 20th anniversary, and Serbia is presiding over the organization from January 1 to July 1, when Turkey will assume the presidency.

Nikolić will use his visit to Turkey for a number of bilateral meetings with Turkish officials and BSEC member countries.

The BSEC was founded in Istanbul on June 25, 1992, at a summit of 11 countries (Russia, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Moldova, Greece, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and Albania), and Serbia became its member in 2004.

At last week's BSEC ministerial meeting, held in Belgrade, the participants voiced hope that governments will use the meeting for strengthening the organization's role as a mechanism for economic cooperation in this part of the world.