CHISINAU/SARAJEVO – “Added urgency, self-responsibility and solidarity among the countries of South East Europe (SEE) are the key tools in ensuring continued positive trends in regional cooperation in SEE”, said the Secretary General of the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC), Hido Biscevic, in Chisinau yesterday.

Secretary General Biscevic made the remarks at the informal meeting of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) Ministers of Foreign Affairs, who discussed current political and economic situation in the region, in view of European and Euro-Atlantic integration, deepening of the world financial crisis and recession, and the possibilities for further SEE advancement under those circumstances.

“I urge you to develop large scale infrastructure projects as a stimulus to economic activities in SEE and a means to preserve and expand the investment flow to the region, open up mutual markets at this crisis time, and raise regional competitiveness on a European and global market”, said Biscevic.

He called upon the meeting participants to consider adopting a common position on decoupling bilateral issues from EU integration processes, to accelerate their realization.

“We have to increasingly rely on our knowledge, political will, responsibility and readiness for compromises as the tools to open the windows of tomorrow in shaping the relations and in building up a genuine self-sustainability in SEE.”

The RCC Secretary General received full support of the meeting participants for RCC work, and met with a number of delegations’ members at the margins of the event.

The informal meeting was attended by high-level representatives of the foreign ministries from the SEECP participating States, representatives of the current Czech and incoming Swedish EU Presidencies, as well as the European Commission.

Secretary General Biscevic separately met with Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, Andrei Stratan, accompanied by Deputy RCC Secretary General, Jelica Minic, and Junior RCC Political Advisor, Ivan Bojanic.