Within regular consultations with the EU Presidency, the RCC Secretary General, Hido Biscevic, met today with the First Czech Deputy Foreign Minister, Tomas Pojar, to discuss current situation in South East Europe (SEE) and cooperation between the RCC and the Presidency.

The two officials spoke about preparations by the RCC Secretariat and the Moldovan Chairmanship-in-Office of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) for the RCC Annual Meeting on 4 June and the SEECP Summit on 5 June in Chisinau, especially in view of the current situation in Moldova, following the recent parliamentary elections.

They pointed to a need to show restraint and use diplomatic means in overcoming current difficulties. The two officials highlighted the importance of the Summit, especially at the present moment when the region is very much feeling effects of the economic crisis, which in turn can affect social and political situation in the region. They confirmed that all those interested in permanent stability and development in SEE should work towards diffusing the tensions.

Secretary General Biscevic also informed Mr Pojar of the initiative to launch a cooperation process among the countries of SEE on large scale development projects in the fields of energy, infrastructure and transport.

The Czech EU Presidency informed of the calendar of meetings and decisions expected to be taken by the end of June, including those related to the submitted Montenegrin and the expected Albanian applications for EU membership, as well as those linked to a visa liberalization regime for the Western Balkans.

The meeting touched upon a possibility for the Czech EU Presidency to provide support to the process of consultations among Bosnia and Herzegovina’s political leaders, especially in light of a recent visit to Sarajevo of Czech Foreign Minister and current President of the EU Council Karel Schwarzenberg, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, and Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt.

During the visit to Prague, the RCC Secretary General also held a lecture “South East Europe at the Crossroads: Facing Future Challenges Together” at the Institute for International Relations.