Dacic presents priorities of Serbian OSCE chairmanship

VIENNA - During its chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) next year, Serbia will use experience to offer contribution to stability and peace in the world, Serbia’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic said at the meeting of the OSCE’s Permanent Council in Vienna Tuesday.

Lessons from the past show that sustainable solutions can only be achieved through dialogue, Dacic said while presenting the priorities of Serbia's OSCE chairmanship in 2015.

He recalled that two years before, Switzerland and Serbia had decided to do something unique – take up a two-year consecutive chairmanship as a joint response to challenges facing the OSCE.

Dacic stressed that during the Serbian chairmanship, special attention would be devoted to the Western Balkans as a region that had faced a lot of problems and suffering in the past.

The situation has changed considerably, but further efforts are needed to enhance stability, Dacic said, adding that regional reconciliation would be a major priority.

He said that today, Serbia and other countries in the region were committed to accelerating the process of European integration and regional cooperation.

Touching on the role of the OSCE, the Serbian foreign minister especially praised the engagement of the organization's mission in Kosovo.

During its chairmanship, Serbia will cooperate closely with Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office for the Western Balkans, Ambassador Gerard Stoudmann, and also continue activities started by Switzerland, Dacic said.

He also stated that Serbia would make efforts to ensure that a high-level conference on illegal immigration...