Security threats demand cooperation of OSCE countries

BASEL - Serbian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic stated in Basel on Friday that contemporary threats such as international terrorism, organised crime, sale of narcotics and illegal migration know no borders, which is why adequate response to these threats calls for close cooperation between OSCE members and partner countries.

After the meeting of the Contact Group with the Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation which focused on common challenges in the fight against terrorism within and outside OSCE territory, Dacic noted that the debate pointed to the unbreakable bonds between the security in the OSCE region and Serbia's neighbours in the Mediterranean, the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs released.

Our goal is to encourage an open and interactive dialogue so as to deliver an adequate response to priorities and challenges of our Mediterranean partners, Dacic said as the 2014 chair of the Contact Group with the Mediterranean Partners for Cooperation.

He noted that Serbia's OSCE chairmanship next year would be marked by the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the signing of the Helsinki Final Act which recognised the importance of the Mediterranean aspect of the security and stability in Europe back in 1975.

Dacic noted that the engagement of Mediterranean partners in the activities of OSCE countries has since strengthened, and added that OSCE member countries and their partners are exchanging information on relevant events, establishing the areas of common problems and presenting the ideas as to how to solve security challenges in the best way.

He noted that terrorism is an important joint topic and recalled that at the recently held Mediterranean conference in Neum,...