NICOSIA – Serbia regrets to note that, even after years of implementation of Council of Europe (CoE) projects, there has been no major progress in respect for human rights and freedoms in Kosovo, Serbian Deputy PM and FM Ivica Dačić said at the 127th Session of the CoE Committee of Ministers in Nicosia, Tanjug reports.
This is particularly noticeable in the everyday lives of people who are not part of the ethnic Albanian community – mostly Serbs, Dačić said.
The rights that are still being violated or require additional protection range from physical or legal security to rights pertaining to property, culture and respect for religious freedoms, including free access to cultural and religious heritage, he said.
Over 200,000 forcibly internally displaced persons still cannot return to their homes, Dačić said at a conference on strengthening democratic security in Europe.
Dačić met Hungarian FM Peter Szijjarto in Nicosia where they discussed the situation in the region, expressing concern over statements by Albanian representatives about creation of a so-called Greater Albania.
They exchanged views on bilateral and multilateral cooperation, the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
As regards bilateral relations, Dačić and Szijjarto discussed cooperation in the energy sector and signature of relevant agreements in the field.
Dačić also held a separate meeting with Portuguese FM Santos Silva, at which they agreed the bilateral relations were good and expressed support for further improvement of bilateral cooperation.