Serbian FM to attend Bled Strategic Forum

Serbian FM to attend Bled Strategic Forum

BELGRADE -- Serbia's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dačić will attend the Bled Strategic Forum in Slovenia on Tuesday.

He will participate in a panel discussion dubbed "The Future of the Western Balkans - How to Make Regional Cooperation Work?"

The forum will bring together senior officials from South East Europe and the United States, Serbian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.

The Bled Strategic Forum was established in 2006 as a platform for public and private sector leaders to engage in a dialogue on the main challenges faced by Europe and the world in the 21st century. It provides an opportunity for a constructive exchange of opinions on the regional cooperation between West Balkan countries aimed at addressing the challenges of the EU integration process, noted the ministry.

With its participation in the Bled Strategic Forum, Serbia "reaffirms its commitment to the continuous promotion and development of cooperation and relations with countries in the region."

During the forum, Dačić will meet with Gamini Lakshman Peiris, minister of external affairs of Sri Lanka, and Hoyt Yee, U.S. deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs.

The forum will start with the welcome address by Slovenia's Foreign Minister Karl Erjavec and the keynote speech by Parliament Speaker Milan Brglez, Slovenian agency STA reported earlier.

Slovenian President Borut Pahor will deliver the keynote address at the main panel on "The Philosophy of Leadership”, after which the discussion will be joined by several current and former ministers of foreign affairs.