August 18, 2009 

   During his recent visit to Kladovo the President of Romania Traian Băsescu said that “we are trying to persuade our friends in Serbia in a friendly way that Romanian minority in your country must enjoy all privileges which the Serbs in Romania have. Above all I have in mind preservation of language, culture and freedom of religion. This makes an obligation for the minority itself to be loyal citizens of the country they live in”.

August 18, 2009

 Danas daily

   Preşedintele României Traian Băsescu în timpul recentei sale vizite la Cladova a spus că „încercăm să ne convingem într-un mod amical prietenii din Serbia că minoritatea română din ţara dumneavoastră trebuie să se bucure de toate privilegiile pe care le au sârbii în România; înainte de toate, mă refer la păstrarea limbii, culturii şi libertăţii religiei, ceea ce obligă minoritarii să fie cetăţeni loiali ai ţării în care trăiesc”.

    Absenţa oricărei reacţii în presă la o nemulţumire clar exprimată a preşedintelui României faţă de poziţia vlahilor / românilor în răsăritul Serbiei este foarte surprinzătoare. Oricine interesat de relaţiile internaţionale ale ţării noastre poate observa că aceasta este esenţa declaraţiei sale. Cei care au citit documentul raportorului special Jurgen Herrmann, cât şi rezoluţia Adunării Parlamentare a Consiliului Europei din 1 octombrie 2008, ştiu că este o atitudine negativă fără dubiu faţă de discriminarea Bisericii Ortodoxe Române nu numai în ţara vecină, ci de asemenea şi la nivel internaţional. Ministerul Religiei condiţionează înregistrarea acestei biserici de acceptul Bisericii Ortodoxe Sârbe şi refuză permiterea activităţii protopopiatului BOR conform deciziilor proprii, restrângând morţiş lucrul BOR doar la regiunea Banatului.

June 6, 2009

  REGARDING THE SELF-EVALUATION OF THE MINISTER OF RELIGION BOGOLJUB ŠIJAKOVIĆ

   The Center for Development of Civil Society (CDCS) is very much concerned and draws attention of everyone interested in exercise and improvement of religious freedoms in Serbia to the assessment of the work of the Ministry of Religion which the Minister of Religion Professor Dr Bogoljub Šijaković made in his statement given in the daily “Politika” on 5 July 2009.

  The prerequisites of good management are true, reliable and full information, objectivity in consideration of open problems and transparency of work of institutions competent to solve them. 

June 15, 2009 

REGARDING THE DRASTIC REDUCTION IN ENDOWMENT FUNDS FOR NATIONAL COUNCILS
 

   The Center for Development of Civil Society (CDCS) is deeply concerned about a drastic reduction in endowment funds for national councils of national minorities which came after years of avoidance to adopt the Law on National Councils, year of avoidance to summons the Government of Serbia’s Council for National Minorities and years of idleness of bilateral bodies. This reduction results in obstruction or hindrance in application of the Law on Protection of Rights and Freedoms of National Minorities in the area of education, information, preserving the national culture, official use of language and script and participation in the public life.

May 16, 2009 

REGARDING THE LATEST ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION IN ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY

   There is a reasonable fear that after a series of fights and wounding it is only the matter of time when the worst possible consequences will occur in inter-Islamic conflicts. Wounding of the President of the Council of Sandzak Islamic community Mustafa Makic in Sjenica on 15 May is the latest bloodshed incident which the Muslims of Serbia suffered.