Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Serbia Nikola Selaković participated today, via video-link, at the World Press Freedom Conference, jointly organized by UNESCO and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
In his speech, Head of Serbian diplomacy stated that Serbia is aware of the importance and role of media freedom in establishing progressive political society that will consistently honor civil liberties and pointed out that we consider attacks on media representatives a strike on the very basis of society, that is, serious threat to our efforts in building up and improvement of the society that is good for everybody.
Minister said that the Government of Serbia recently adopted Action plan for the Implementation of the Media Strategy and decided to establish Task Force for Security and Protection of Journalists and representatives of the Prime Minister’s Cabinet and several ministries and Office of the State Prosecutor, among others, will take part, as well as representatives of the EU Delegation in Serbia and OSCE Office Serbia.
Also, Minister conveyed the warning of the Journalists’ Association of Serbia and the Commission for Investigation of Murders of Journalists that it is inadmissible not to include crimes against journalists in indictments against the leaders of the so called UCK.
Minister Selaković pointed out Journalists’ Association of Serbia data that in between 1998. And 2005. 17 Serbian and Albanian journalists and other media representatives were killed in Kosovo and Metohija and their names are on the web-site of the Journalists’ Association of Serbia and he concluded that perpetrators cannot remain unpunished.