The ninth Serbian-Swiss Migration Dialogue was held in Belgrade
28.11.2019. The ninth Migration Dialogue between the Republic of Serbia and the Swiss Confederation was held in Belgrade on 27-28 November 2019. The main goal of migration dialogue is exchange of good practices between the two countries. During the dialogue, both positive and critical aspects of migration were discussed.Serbian delegation was led by Mr Vladimir Cucic, Commissioner for Refugees and Migration, while Swiss Delegation was led by Ambassador Vincenzo Mascioli, Director of International Cooperation from the State Secretariat for Migration.
Meeting was attended by Mr Zoran Lazarov, Assistant Minister of Interior, Mr Miljan Stanojevic, Head of the Border Police Directorate, Ms Bojana Stanic and Mr Svetozar Aleksov, State Secretaries at the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veterans' and Social Affairs, H.E. Philippe Guex, the Ambassador of Switzerland to Serbia and Ms. Priska Depnering, a.i. Head of Swiss Cooperation Office.
Commissioner Vladimir Cucić stressed that Switzerland has been providing full support to the state institutions of the Republic of Serbia for almost three decades, and for a decade within the migration partnership between the two countries. The Commissioner thanked the Government of Switzerland for all the assistance provided and expressed confidence that Serbia and Switzerland would continue to cooperate on projects of mutual interest.
Ambassador Mascioli emphasized the importance of the Migration Partnership and the results achieved in this field over the past ten years. He presented the new Swiss Migration Partnership Strategy for the Western Balkans 2020-2023 and expressed confidence that Serbia and Switzerland would continue to cooperate in good spirit.
Since the establishment of the Migration Partnership, the Swiss Confederation has donated to the Republic of Serbia more than € 10 million, aimed at strengthening the capacity of the Republic of Serbia to effectively manage migration.
During two-day migration dialogue, two delegations exchanged experiences on the current migration situation in two countries, as well as on future joint projects. They exchanged experience in the area of migration management, from asylum policy, reception, integration, combating trafficking in human beings, the role of the social protection system in migrant protection, readmission and regional cooperation.
The Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Council of Switzerland and the Government of the Republic of Serbia on the establishment of a migration partnership establishing a regular dialogue on migration between the two countries was signed on 30 June 2009.