Balkan presidents sign declaration to boost fight against crime, terror

The presidents of seven Balkan countries signed on Monday a joint declaration in Serbia to boost the fight against organized crime and terrorism which pose a regional and global security threat.

The presidents of Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia agreed on the need for greater cooperation of countries in the region, strengthening democratic institutions and encouraging economic development, the official Tanjug news agency reported.

The declaration said that together with organized crime, as one of the basic sources of funds and means for the destabilization of countries, terrorism is the biggest threat to peace, stability and democratic development of the region.

Cooperating with the European Union and NATO, the Balkan countries will "further develop the judicial bodies, law enforcement agencies, security and intelligence services, as well as financial authorities ... to detect, monitor and prosecute perpetrators of organized crime and terrorist activities," the leaders said in the declaration.

Serbian President Boris Tadic, who hosted the event, said after the summit that the cooperation among the countries in the region in raising the intensity of the fight against organized crime and terrorism was in the real interests, not only of the region and the European Union, but also of the world.

At a joint press conference with other presidents, Tadic announced the early formation of an expert team of representatives from the region, who would coordinate all the activities for countering organized crime and global terrorism with competent EU institutions.

Tadic said he was satisfied with the work and agreement reached at the meeting and announced that the next summit would be held in Macedonia.

Also attending the summit were presidents Alfred Moisiu of Albania, Stipe Mesic of Croatia, Branko Crvenkovski of Macedonia, Filip Vujanovic of Montenegro and Traian Basescu of Romania, as well as Bosnia-Herzegovina's presidency member Borislav Paravac.

Source: Xinhua