Serbia committed to protecting, promoting rights of members of national minorities

Minister of Foreign Affairs Marko Đurić met today with OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities Christophe Kamp.

The head of Serbian diplomacy described today's meeting as an excellent opportunity to exchange views on the most important issues within the competence of High Commissioner Kamp.

Referring to Serbia's cooperation with the OSCE, Đurić emphasised that our country is deeply committed to protecting and promoting the individual and collective rights of members of national minorities, pointing to the continuous work on improving the institutional and legal framework in this domain and its efficient implementation.

During the talks with Kamp, he expressed particular concern about the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, where Serbs are facing systematic violations of basic human rights, due to the unilateral actions of the Priština authorities.

Pointing out in detail the latest developments in Kosovo and Metohija and their consequences that the Serbian population experiences every day, Đurić emphasised that work to improve the position of Serbs should be a collective effort of all entities, because this is the only way to achieve visible results that will contribute to preventing them from leaving their centuries-old homeland.

Đurić also highlighted the importance of creating a positive environment that will enable Serbian representatives to be represented in appropriate numbers and adequately in all institutions and at all levels of government.

He also underlined that Serbia attaches special importance to the work of OSCE missions on its territory, and that we believe it is necessary for them to report and react to unilateral moves by Priština in a timely manner.

The Serbian Foreign Minister and the OSCE High Commissioner also discussed improving the position of national minorities in Serbia, and Đurić informed his interlocutor about the concrete steps that have been taken in this regard in the previous period, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.