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Bucharest, June 9 /Agerpres/ - Romania and Serbia voiced on Monday, on the occasion of the trilateral meeting Romania-Italy-Serbia in Belgrade, their support for the European route of Serbia and the visa-lifting for the Serbian citizens until the end of this year. Foreign Minister Cristian Diaconescu participated together with his counterparts Franco Frattini and Vuk Jeremic in the trilateral meeting Romania-Italy-Serbia, held on Monday, in Belgrade. The purpose of the meeting was the re-assertion of the support for the European track of Serbia, and the agreement of trilateral concrete projects and partnerships. The agenda of the meeting also included: the EU visa-lifting for the states in the Western Balkans, the process of deblocking the Interim Agreement between Serbia and the EU, energy corridors and regional cooperation, the Romanian MFA said in a press release. 'Romania and Italy reaffirm, on this occasion, their support for the European aspirations of Serbia, which is an important state to providing regional stability. We are determined to strengthen the cooperation and step up the political dialogue, so that Serbia may join the big European family', Diaconescu said. The two EU states expressed support of a decision in favour of the liberalization of the visa rules for the Serbian citizens, until the end of 2009, with Romania and Italy to be the promoters of such a measure in the Union, based on Serbia's firm commitment to meeting the necessary technical requirements. The three ministers signed a Joint Declaration, which stresses the importance of the continuation of the process of expansion for the states in the Western Balkans, as a decisive element in assuring the regional stability. The regional cooperation is the best way to diminish the effects of the economic crisis, reads the release of the Foreign Ministry. The ministers for foreign affairs mentioned the importance of the cooperation in the field of energy, placing emphasis on achieving the interconnection of the energy networks in the region and on paying special attention to the project of the Pan-European Oil Pipeline (PEOP). Minister Diaconescu presented a Romanian-Austrian project meant to strengthen the cooperation in the Danube region by means of an integrated European strategy that should contribute to the development of concrete projects on environment, transportation, tourism and culture. The Serbian minister expressed Serbia's support for this strategy. The three officials reasserted the role played by the Central European Initiative in backing the Western Balkan states to meet the obligations they have as a result of their wish to take a European route. Romania's being the CEI chairman-in-office in 2009 is a strong argument in this respect, the Foreign Ministry stressed.
[Source:
Romanian National News Agency
AGERPRES
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