SARAJEVO – Journalists and editors from leading South East European media outlets will gather in Sarajevo on 15-16 October to discuss their role in shaping a new image of the region as a place of tolerance, progress and European values.

The event will be organized by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) Secretariat, with support of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The journalists and editors will work to identify the best ways to bring European ideas closer to the people of the region, promote journalistic ethics and media independence, and support inter-cultural dialogue and mutual understanding in South East Europe. The event will also stimulate networking as an important tool to counter prejudices and increase regional cooperation and development.

Opening remarks will be delivered by Hido Biščević, RCC Secretary General; Margaritis Schinas, Advisor to the Director General at the Directorate General for Communication of the European Commission; and Ambassador Gary D. Robbins, Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The speakers will include Vildana Selimbegović, Editor-in-Chief of the Oslobođenje daily, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Lutfi Dervishi, journalist and media analyst, Albania; Alexandros Koronakis, Editor-In-Chief of the New Europe weekly; Sándor Orbán, Executive Director of the South East European Network for Profession­alization of Media; Đorđe Vlajić, BBC correspondent, Serbia; and Ioana Avadani, Executive Director of the Romanian Centre for Independent Journalism.

The programme of the event is available at the websites of the Regional Cooperation Council (www.rcc.int) and the OSCE Mission (www.oscebih.org).

Journalists are invited to attend the opening of the workshop on Thursday, 15 October 2009, at 9 a.m., as well as its closing on Friday, 16 October 2009, at 12 p.m., at the premises of the Regional Cooperation Council Secretariat, Trg Bosne i Hercegovine 1/V, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.