Osce High Commissioner: Serbia Owns Extensive Institutional Framework to Protect Minority Rights 

Kairat Abdrakhmanov (commons.wikimedia.org/The Official CTBTO Photostream

OSCE High Commissioner on Minorities Kairat Abdrakhmanov has said that Serbia possesses an extensive institutional framework to protect the rights of ethnic minorities, and that the model used by the Serbian province of Vojvodina was a good example of how a state can meet the interests of ethnic communities.

In an interview with BETA, following his first visit to Serbia and the region, Abdrakhmanov said on June 26 that his organization was prepared to offer Serbia expert assistance in resolving minority issues, including those related to EU accession criteria or normalization talks with Pristina.

The OSCE official pointed out that regional cooperation and good neighborly relations are beneficial for minority groups and majority peoples alike, not only in Serbia, but across the region.

"Serbia possesses efficient mechanisms to protect minority rights, including national councils, which play an important role in representing the interests of different ethnic communities in the country," Kairat Abdrakhmanov said, after a series of meetings with senior officials and representatives of local self-governments and national minorities in Belgrade, Novi Sad and Bujanovac, from June 14 to June 17.