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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Serbia fully shares founding commitments, principles of Council of Europe

Belgrade, 5 March 2026

Minister of Foreign Affairs Marko Đurić met today with Secretary General of the Council of Europe (CoE) Alain Berset, stating following the meeting that the Republic of Serbia attaches great importance to the CoE’s work.

Đurić emphasised that as a member state, Serbia fully shares the founding commitments and principles of the CoE and its goals when it comes to cooperation on the continent and values, such as democracy, human rights and, in general, the improvement of the rule of law and living conditions in the wider community.

The head of Serbian diplomacy assessed that today’s meeting is taking place at a very specific moment, when the Middle East is “burning,” and the war that has been present on the eastern edges of Europe for four full years has entered its fifth year.

He underlined that today is the right moment to send a message of peace from Belgrade.

Đurić said that Serbia is strongly in favour of the rule of international public law, the peaceful resolution of disputes in the international community, multilateralism and the role of international organisations in overcoming various contradictions in international relations, but also as an instrument of cooperation that should prevent the occurrence of conflicts that we are, unfortunately, witnessing.

In this sense, we welcome the activities of the CoE, Đurić pointed out.

According to him, today they also discussed certain plans related to the activities of the Republic of Serbia and its diplomatic initiatives in the region, where Serbia wants to use 2026 to focus on strengthening stability, friendly and good-neighbourly relations with all countries in the immediate vicinity, but also to create new opportunities for economic development and strengthening cooperation in various areas.

He stated that he used today's meeting to inform Berset and his colleagues from the CoE about the situation of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija and the concerns regarding the problems arising from the questioning of the functioning of the education and healthcare systems.

Đurić also thanked the CoE delegation for holding a very wide range of talks in Belgrade with representatives of political institutions, parties from both the government and the opposition, and representatives of civil society in order to gain a comprehensive picture of the situation in the country.

Berset expressed his satisfaction at having had the opportunity to hold substantive and constructive talks with Serbian officials at this important moment for Europe and the entire world.

Berset said that the CoE, with its 46 equal members, committed to the principles of democracy and the rule of law, must, in light of new developments on the world stage, reflect on the development of the organisation and consider how to improve the platform for peaceful relations and strong multilateralism, with the aim of resolving conflicts and preventing such situations in the future.

Speaking about the active role of the CoE Office in Belgrade, he emphasised that cooperation with the Republic of Serbia is very good and that they are jointly taking steps towards progress and possible accession to the EU.

When it comes to the endangered rights of the Serbian and non-Albanian population in Kosovo and Metohija, Berset said that the CoE takes all discussions on the topic of human rights and the implementation of law very seriously and that it will continue to work to improve relations through dialogue and compromise.

Author: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Author: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Author: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Author: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Author: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Author: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Author: Ministry of Foreign Affairs