The Ministry of Human and Minority Rights stated that the Serbian-Romanian intergovernmental mixed commission for national minorities, founded in line with the Agreement on protection of national minorities, signed between the governments of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Romania on June 15, 2004, held its first session on November 23, in Bucharest.
This commission was formed to ensure the efficient implementation of the agreement. It is composed of representatives of competent state institutions for national minority rights and of members of the Serbian national minority in Romania and the Romanian national minority in Serbia.
Secretary of Culture of the Vojvodina Executive Council and president of the Serbian side of the commission Milorad Djuric pointed to the traditionally friendly relations between Serbia and Romania, Romania's support to Serbia on its road to the EU and Romania's unambiguous position in not recognising the unilaterally proclaimed independence of Kosovo-Metohija.
State Secretary for European Affairs at the Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and president of the Romanian part of the commission Bogdan Mazuru said that the two countries have intensive bilateral cooperation, one of the main points of which is protection of minority rights.
The text of the Rule book on the work of the commission was signed at the session, as well as the text of the minutes from the first session.
Participants in the meeting agreed to intensify the work of the commission and to analyse at the next session the extent to which the two sides have fulfilled their obligations concerning the protection of minority rights and to adopt concrete recommendations for the fulfilment of those obligations, it is added in the statement.