REGIONAL MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON NATIONAL AND ETHNIC COMMUNITIES AND
MINORITIES IN SOUTH EAST EUROPE - DOMESTIC AND REGIONAL CONFERENCE
BUILDING
Closing Statement by H.E. Mr. Rasim Ljajic,
Federal Minister of National and Ethnic Communities
Belgrade, 6. July 2001.
At the initiative of the Government of the Federal Republic of
Yugoslavia (FRY), an inter-governmental conference took place in
Belgrade on
5-6. July 2001. Organized by the FRY Federal Ministry of National and
Ethnic
Communities, in cooperation with the Council of Europe and the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and with the
support of the East West
Institute, the Fund for an Open Society and the Rockefeller Brothers
Foundation, the conference brought together governmental delegations
from
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, the former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Turkey.
The conference
also enjoyed the participation of representatives of international
governmental and non-governmental organizations.
Participants welcomed the developments in the Federal Republic
of
Yugoslavia over the last months which demonstrate a new commitment
towards
European standards and cooperation in relation to the protection of
national
minorities and good interethnic relations.
The conference aimed to give further impetus and specific in-put
to the cooperation between countries in the region concerning national
minority
issues, including the promotion of links between people of different
identies.
The conference also constituted a step forward in building confidence
both
domestically and within the region. To this end, representatives of
participating Governments shared their views of the situation of
national
minorities and related concerns and developments in their countries and
in the
region.
The conclusion of bilateral agreements was generally recommended
for
common undertaking regarding the situations of minorities and national
or
ethnic communities in neighboring States, provided that States accord
equal
importance to the concrete and effective implementation of their
international
obligations and commitments through the monitoring and assistance of
international authorities such as the OSCE High Commissioner on National
Minorities and the Council of Europe. In addition, bilateral agreements
would
constitute a contribution to the mutual guarantee of the inviolability
of State frontiers and respect for the territorial integrity of
countries in the region. Such agreements should also include concrete
measures promoting contacts and
cooperation across frontiers with a view to gradually diminishing the
relevance of such frontiers in the lives, activities and minds of the
people of South
East Europe and re-orientating all people in the region towards a
genuine
European perspective. In this spirit, conference participants were
informed
about comprehensive projects being planned or implemented throughout the
region to improve the situation of Roma communities. These developments
are highly
commendable and should be expanded.
--
REGIONALNA MINISTARSKA KONFERENCIJA O NACIONALNIM I ETNICKIM ZAJEDNICAMA
I
MANJINAMA U JUGOISTOCNOJ EVROPI - IZGRADNJA POVERENJA U ZEMLJI I REGIONU
Zakljucni stavovi Rasima Ljajica,
saveznog ministar nacionalnih i etnickih zajednica
Beograd, 6. jul 2001.
Na inicijativu Vlade Savezne Republike Jugoslavije 5. i 6. jula
2001.
godine u Beogradu je odrzana medjunarodna konferencija koja je okupila
predstavnike vlada zemalja Jugoistocne Evrope. Konferencija koju je
organizovalo Savezno ministarstvo nacionalnih i etnickih zajednica u
saradnji
sa Savetom Evrope i OEBS-om, a uz podrsku East West Instituta, Fonda za
otvoreno drustvo i Rockefeller Brothers Fondacije, okupila je vladine
delegacije iz Bosne i Hercegovine, Bugarske, Hrvatske, Grcke, Madjarske,
Makedonije, Rumunije, Slovacke, Slovenije i Turske. Konferenciji su
prisustvovali i predstavnici medjunarodnih i jugoslovenskih nevladinih
organizacija.
Ucesnici su pozdravili povratak SRJ u evropske tokove, kao i
napore
koji su u Jugoslaviji ucinjeni u pravcu usvajanja i razvijanja evropskih
standarda u oblasti zastite manjina i unapredjenja medjuetnickih odnosa.
Cilj konferencije bio je da pospesi dalju saradnju izmedju
zemalja
regiona, narocito u oblasti zastite prava manjina, i da promovise veze
izmedju
ljudi razlicitog nacionalnog identiteta. Konferencija je dala podsticaj
razvoju poverenja i razumevanja kako u zemlji tako i u regionu.
Predstavnici vlada
Jugoistocne Evrope predstavili su situaciju u sopstvenim zemljama i
razmenili
iskustva u oblasti zastite prava manjina.
Preporuceno je da se intenzivira proces zakljucivanja
bilateralnih
ugovora kao jednog od oblika zastite manjina u susednim zemljama, kao i
da se
obezbedi sigurna implementacija tih ugovora i postovanje preuzetih
medjunarodnih obaveza, uz pomoc medjunarodnih organizacija, narocito
Visokog
komesarijata za manjine OEBS-a i Saveta Evrope.
Zakljuceno je da bilateralni sporazumi treba da sadrze obostrane
garancije za sprovodjenje, kao i za postovanje nepovredivosti granica i
drzavnog integriteta. Takvi sporazumi promovisace kontakte izmedju
zemalja i
prekogranicnu saradnju sa tendencijom da shodno evropskom dugu te
granice u
zivotu i radu ljudi u Jugoistocnoj Evropi vremenom izgube na vaznosti, a
citav
region postane deo evropskih integracija.
Ucesnici konferencije informisani su o razlicitim projektima
koji ce u
skorijoj buducnosti biti implementirani u regionu, a koji imaju za cilj
unapredjenje polozaja romske zajednice.
Predstavljena iskustva i napori pokazali su spremnost zemalja
Jugoistocne Evrope da i dalje rade na unapredjenju polozaja manjina i da
razvijaju medjusobnu saradnju.
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