Davenport, Ugljanin on EU delegation, BNV cooperation

NOVI PAZAR - Chairman of the Bosniak National Council (BNV) Sulejman Ugljanin spoke with Michael Davenport, chief of mission of the European Union (EU) in Serbia, on cooperation and the rights of minorities, the BNV said in a release on Wednesday.

Davenport supported the commitment of the Bosniak leaders in the council and parliament to resolving all issues and problems within the framework of the Serbian institutions, according to the release.

Ugljanin thanked for the message of support expressed on behalf of the EU Delegation to Serbia by Davenport and for his congratulations on the occasion of the setting up of the BNV.

Ugljanin pointed to the importance of EU support for future work of the highest legal and legitimate body representing Bosniaks in Serbia.

Ugljanin said that Bosniaks had many problems and unresolved issues, claiming also that they were "the only people whose status has not been resolved after the breakup of the former Yugoslavia."

He called on Davenport to work together with him to help ensure better law implementation and realization of human and minority rights, expressing the hope that positive results would finally show up on the ground.

During the meeting, which was attended by Enis Imamovic, member of the Serbian parliament, the EU was asked to continue to fund projects in all 46 underdeveloped municipalities in Serbia, primarily in the fields of energy and infrastructure.

The officials agreed that sustainable development of underdeveloped regions (including the Raska region where the majority of members of the Bosniak minority live) was of vital importance for the whole country and that it was necessary to continue making efforts in that area.