Belgrade, 25th June 2010 – In conjunction with the 4th working meeting for municipal trustees and representatives of the international community held at Zlatibor from the 23rd to the 24th of June, a working meeting of the MARRI regional initiative was also held where high representatives of the member countries of the initiative were present from  Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Montenegro, and the Republic of Serbia.  The delegation of the Republic of Serbia was comprised of the representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Commissariat for Refugees.

During the meeting, the director of the MARRI initiative Mr. Trpe Stojanovski, addressed those present and offered words of praise for the efforts made by the Commissariat for Refugees, which has with the aim of adhering to European standards, initiated the holding of the two day working meeting under the title of “ Further Development and Exchange of Expertise in the Fields of Asylum and Migration.“

During the meeting held by the MARRI initiative, the importance of regional cooperation was stressed in reference to the topics of asylum, the institution of adequate protection measures for asylum seekers, the importance of finding solutions for the prevention of illegal migration as well as for the development of means of improving cooperative efficiency in the field of asylum by establishing effective mechanisms for working with asylum seekers.

On the second day of the working meeting, a visit to the asylum centre in Banja Koviljač was organized.  During the visit the assistant to the Comissioner, Mr. Ivan Gerginov and the director of the Centre for asylum, Mr. Robert Lasmajter, briefed those present on the experiences related to the functioning of the Centre for Asylum.

The work meeting resulted in the affirmation of the importance of continued cooperation within the fields of migration, information exchange, experience, good practice and coordination of activities, representing a necessary condition for the effective control of migration as well as for the defining and analysis of the regional politics concerning asylum.