Selakovic: Respect for Rule of Law Can't be Abolished in a Crisis

Nikola Selakovic.(BETAPHOTO/NENAD PETROVIC/AV)

Speaking at the 130th Council of Europe ministerial meeting, which took place online on Nov. 4, Serbian Foreign Minister Nikola Selakovic said that respect for the rule of law could not be abolished in a crisis, or under any circumstances, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs quoted him as saying in a press release.

"The steps the Republic of Serbia has taken since March to curb the spread of the coronavirus outbreak are proportional and necessary, and the country will continue to fight it in a way which is in conformity with the principles of the European Convention on Human Rights," Minister Selakovic said at a conference focused on the rule of law and respect for human rights during the pandemic.

The minister underlined that Serbia had been consistent in respecting minority rights in the process. Selakovic pointed to the problem of violence against women, adding that Serbia, one of the first eight states to have ratified the Istanbul Convention, would continue to address the social problem with the same resolve.

According to the Serbian foreign minister, Serbia is fully committed to the principles and values of the Council of Europe, as demonstrated by a Serbian government decision to set up a new Ministry for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue.